With the explosion of social media, camera phones and digital photography, photojournalism has become more popular than ever. In fact, these days you don’t need a college degree or professional photo experience to snap or record major events. Look at CNN’s I-reports. The cable news network now accepts video, photos and audio captured on a computer or cell phone from citizen journalists. The best clips are used on the network’s programming and are viewed by millions more on CNN’s website.
The problem with having all these “citizen journalists” running around taking shots of current events and looking to have their video or photos shared with a worldwide audience is that the integrity of the images is not always preserved. In some cases, society’s insatiable appetite for sensational images leads amateurs to pick certain points of an event and distort them in order to grab more attention.
Let’s face it; the Internet and the popularity of video sharing sites such as YouTube have changed the way photojournalism is viewed. These days it seems many media organizations accept sensational images from just about any camera-toting kid in order to keep regular viewers and attract new ones.
What’s more, technology has provided photojournalists (both professionals and wannabes) with the ability to edit their shots with the click of a mouse. Photo editing software is a lifesaver for many photographers. However, there are some individuals who abuse the gift of editing and compromise the integrity or context of a shot just so they can have their work viewed by others.
Truth in photojournalism is more than snapping an accurate shot; rather it means that the viewer must see enough of an event to connect with the subject. Good photos should tell a story by themselves and speak to the totality of an event and not just a portion of it.
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