Ethical Photojournalism

Katie Millard

km053019@ohio.edu

Photos and videos are seen as an accurate glimpse of reality, a moment frozen in truth. However, one angle, moment, or frame is not always the best representative for an occurrence. An Australian National University study found that people trust photos. An article is more likely to be considered factual if accompanied by any photo, even a stock image. Photos are no longer just worth a thousand words; they're worth the difference between trust and a lack thereof. Photojournalism is an essential part of telling a story, and so it must be ethical. 

With so much technology and interconnectedness, images are easily doctored and shared. Even videos can be altered to appear authentic, sometimes making it difficult for even professionals to decipher. Thus, it is essential that journalists always check, double-check, and confirm that anything they are reporting on with the weight of their publication behind them must be accurate. If something is circulating the internet, verify the source. If one can be sure it is true, it can be reported as fact. If one is sure it is not valid, an article debunking it.

Without covering a largely-believed falsity, it is essential to do so without furthering the false narrative. Readers casually scrolling are very susceptible to taking their feeds as fact. A University of Warwick study found people are generally awful at detecting falsified images. With only 9% of readers able to identify if something had been added or subtracted from an image. Thus, it is essential to include clear markers as to actual and untrue, as indicated below.

Michael Zhang for PetaPixel https://petapixel.com/2017/07/20/people-really-bad-spotting-fake-photos-study-finds/

Including a clear indication of real or fake allows people to register truth from fiction quickly. The headlines for these articles are also important, as they must be worded in a way that will not perpetuate the falsity. While it should be a reader's responsibility to read what is before them, there is no way to guarantee any article will be thoroughly read. Thus, reporters must make their articles skim-proof, so even a glance at the photos, headline, and lede will relay the essential information. 

While the addition to the image above may appear relatively inconsequential, any doctored photo is creating a false narrative, and many will be much more harmful than the addition of a pipe. Reality can be shaped and molded for people, as evidenced by the QAnon phenomenon. Hundreds of thousands of Americans believe completely fabricated "truths" to live in a different reality. The ability furthers the ability to manipulate the public for anyone to alter and share photos. If the public is set on trusting images, it is journalists' responsibility to inform what is trustworthy.