Chapter 8 - Photojournalism and Bias

Going Home by Ed Clark

In the image "Going Home" I see a man playing the accordion, he looks like he is upset and crying. The people in the background look worried or upset. Most of the people are looking at the man. One women is sitting with her hand covering her face, it looks like she is crying too. Maybe it is a sad event that he is performing at. From another perspective the man is the only African American in the photo, maybe he is being discriminated upon. I feel sympathetic for this man, it looks like he is experiencing a lot of tragedy or loss. I was able to infer this image according to my own biases and personal experiences. According to the definition by The Free Dictionary, bias is "A preference or an inclination, especially one that inhibits impartial judgment." My biases and assumptions about this image may be incorrect or different from someone else

Subject’s Expression: The subject does not look relaxed, he looks very upset. The photo was taken off guard so the subject is demonstrating his true emotions. He is crying and continues to play his accordion.

Black & White: The image is taken in black and white to make it more emotional and aesthetically pleasing. It fits the image better, and gives it more meaning. If it was colored it would be too bright and cheery for the sad occasion. The image is from 1945, the photographer had the option to keep it colored.

Background The background compliments the image. In the background there are people crying and upset. This emphasizes that the event this man is performing at is sad. I think the background is necessary to understand that everyone is particularly sad. The background is out of focus, but still 

visible.

Image A: Truth

I think that this image demonstrates the truth according to my biases. This image exposed the truth about how it may feel to be a photojournalist or how this image was taken. This image demonstrates a bias about photojournalists, or describes tough job they have to do. This photo is not the original, so some may think, "How can that be the truth?" According to the video, Can @ Cab 2 "I want to live" with Shahidul Alam by ConsciousActionNetwork mentions, "A story has many truths." My idea of the truth may be different than someone else's, but if you were a witness to this photo being taken, this is what you would see. It is the harsh reality, photojournalists sometimes do whatever it takes to get the image they want, even if it means photographing a dead girl in such a vulnerable state. Unfortunately this type of photojournalism is justified in the code of ethics. Professor Nordell makes an important statement in his video Photojournalism and Bias - Part 1, saying, "Truths can essentially change over time." I agree that truth and bias does change over time because truth is based off of perspective. Truth is determined by what someone believes is ethically appropriate.

Photo by: Nathan Weber

Abstraction: The image represents a deeper meaning than the image depicts. It exploits the truth about some possible circumstances in photojournalism. The meaning on this images can be inferred based on one's perception. 

Feelings: This image made me feel disgusted. I feel like they are treating her like she is a photo prop and not a human who just died. This image shocked me because when you see an image from this perspective it makes these people seem inhumane. 

Composition: The composition is cluttered. The group of men in the left side of the image distracts you from the subject, the girl. Instead of focusing on the girl, our attention focuses on the photojournalists and how ethically challenging the career is. 

Image B: Not Truth

I do not think this image demonstrates the truth. It is the raw and original image. To some degree this image is truthful in the way that it is authentic. But it does not show the "behind the scenes" of the image. The image is taken from a perspective where the lifeless dead girl is treated as a photo prop, but provides no insight to how this image was taken. In my opinion, this picture is inhumane and gory. I could never take an image like this as a photojournalist. According to the video Photojournalism and Bias -  Part 2, Professor Nordell says, "I think in this image saturated time it is a vital importance to look at possible biases of the photojournalists creating the images..." I think it is important to consider your own biases and ethics in any career. Maybe this photojournalist has different ethics than myself. Death is a sensitive subject for many people and that is most likely why this photo is so controversial. Yellow journalism also does not represent the truth. Yellow journalism is the use of extremely exaggerated headlines According to an article Introduction Yellow Journalism by W. Joseph Campbell, "For all its flaws and virtues, yellow journalism exerted a powerful influence in American journalism at the turn of the twentieth century."I agree that this tactic has been successful in journalism, but I think it makes them less reliable and untruthful. It seems more like propaganda than photojournalism because of the exaggeration. 

Photo by: Paul Hansen

Depth of field: The depth of field includes two men who distract from the subject. The image uses a maximum depth of field and shows distant land as well. It shows that everything in the image is important to the message of the image.

Obvious main subject, about ¼ to 2/3 of image area: The subject takes up 2/3 of the photo. It does not crowd the edges but the intended subject is still obvious. If certain aspects were left out you might not know the location or understand that she was killed.

Quality of Light The light is dark and creates a gloomy and sad affect. The colors in the image are dull and washed out. The dull image makes the emotional impact of death more sad. The brightness of the girls outfit is the only bright part and draws our attention.

I know which image is "right or wrong" to me because it affects me emotionally. I always imagine myself in the other persons situation. If I was photo graphed during this vulnerable state of being, I would feel disrespected. According to the article, What Are The Four Ways of Knowing? by Oliver Kim,"You know certain things because you feel them emotionally. You know that certain things are ethically not right. Some decisions in your life are so complicated that you have to rely on your intuition." Ethically the image is inappropriate and is not demonstrating the gruesome reality behind this image. According to my ethics this image has no integrity or honesty behind it.