Photo+Ethics

Look at the following photographs. Decide whether or not you think they are real photographs or forgeries.

1.  2.  3.  4.  5.  6.  7.  8.  9.  10.  11.

12.  13.  14.  15.  16. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: #ff6600; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> Ok, so none of these are going to cause much harm, but what about the following?

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: #ff6600; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: #ff6600; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> Senator John Kerry shaking hands with Anton Levey, high priest of the Church of Satan.

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: #ff6600; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: #ff6600; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> Senator Tom Daschel, former Senate majority leader, saluting the flag.

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: #339966; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Think about the following questions: <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: #339966; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">1. Are these photographs funny? 2. What are some "not so funny" intentions of showing such a photo? 3. If a newspaper ran this photo by accident, what responsibility does it have to correct reader's perceptions? 4. How should a paper make corrections? 5. Will a simple written correction ever be able to reverse the damage? Why or why not?

Using the following website, examine real photo forgery that made it into papers and magazines. While looking at these examples answer the following questions.

1. What makes a doctored image? Is it ever acceptable to show doctored images? If so when is it ok and when is it not?

2. Is it okay to enhance the color of a photojournalist's work or "burn" a little light into part of a photo to make it clearer for accompanying a hard news story? Why or why not?

3. Are there instances when a slight alteration of color or light might be considered a falsification? Why or why not?

4. How does cropping change an image?

5. Is it possible to manipulate the truth of an image by simply cropping out key figures?

6. Is cropping ever justifiable? For example, during wartime, are there instances when cropping out telltale signs of an army's location might be considered the right thing to do to avoid giving vital information to enemies?

7. It might be argued that there is inevitable manipulation with most photographs. How much is okay and how much is too much?

8. What guidelines should photojournalists and news editors use to determine whether a photo is "true" or not?

9. What is the difference between a candid and a posed shot?

10. Should photography ever be used as evidence in a court of law? Why or why not?

11. What are some examples of powerful photos that have had a strong effect on your opinions and emotions about an event or time? (Find one example and explain why it has such an impact on you.)

12. Using one of the photographs on this website, briefly explain what you learned. (What was the photo? What was altered? How was it proven to be altered? What happened to the newspaper or photographer as a result of this altered image? What do you think the impact of this altered image could have been (or was)? Do you think this alteration was harmful or was it necessary or legitimate? Explain.)

[|Altered Images]