In the article The Visual Newspaper, American photojournalist Loup Langton speaks about his experience working in the press and why he believes photographic news to be equally significant to its written counterparts. The author describes how too many newsrooms consider photography secondary to written reports. Photography is most commonly considered a way to expand on what has been written, or to draw the attention of readers to a specific news article. Langton argues in his essay that newspapers should change their photographic paradigms and incorporate photography more deeply in the act of reporting. Through anecdotes and personal stories, Langton describes five factors that aspiring âvisual newspapersâ should consider in their work. First, photographers must be considered as journalists, meaning they have the right and ability to initiate stories and tell them visually. Second, photographers take responsibility to survey their communities and originate stories based on their findings. Third, visuals should not merely repeat written accompaniment but should expand on or highlight other relevant factors. Fourth, journalists must be trained to recognize stories with visual potential. Finally, Langtonâs fifth factor describes that there must be coordination between photographs and design elements in the paper itself.
It is important to note how much journalistic value is attributed to photography in Langtonâs theory. Author Susan Sontag penned a 1977 critique on photography that opposes Langtonâs views. Sontag describes how the late 20th centuryâs capitalist ideals prioritized aesthetics and images over tangible things (Sontag, 1977). She comments on how the âvoyeuristicâ ideals of society sometimes overtake concrete facts, condemning those who believe photography has earned a spot in mainstream reportage. However, modern theories reflect some of Langtonâs arguments more closely, but still have distinct differences. One such theory is Larry Rayâs idea of the nature of photojournalism. He describes how photography is equally significant to journalism as sociological reporting but that they serve incomparable purposes (Ray, 2020). Whereas written facts describe the naked truth of a situation, photography depicts the intangible. Words alone often have the inability to convey the humanity of a situation, whereas photography can encapsulate the complex human experience in a single frame.
Langtonâs article serves as a reminder to writers and journalistic students not to overlook the art of photography as less important than written reporting and, in fact, that the two should coexist as highly-regarded journalistic media. I believe that Langtonâs article presents a valid idea in a slightly indigestible way. The ideas of his five factors align with principles I know well. Photojournalism is a valid and often necessary form of reporting, as there are many times photographs say what words cannot. His third notion about using visuals to expand on a story rather than depict what has already been written is a tactic I have learned to adopt into my own reportage. However, I disagree with the notion that photographers should be regarded as equal to journalists, especially in non-opinion journalism. Langtonâs article is slightly biased by his profession as many of his stories involved writers from his newspaper diminishing the value of his work. I think that this makes him more inclined to view writing and photography as equal in terms of purpose. I align more with Rayâs view that writing and photography serve distinctly different purposes and therefore photography cannot be used as a replacement for written journalism (Ray, 2020). Photos, which are interpreted differently by each viewer, cannot replace written factual claims, but can instill an unfathomable sense of understanding in a viewer and nonetheless serve a critical purpose in journalism.
References
Langton, L. (2009). The Visual Newspaper. Photojournalism and todayâs news: creating visual reality. Wiley-Blackwell. Pg 45-70.
Ray, L. (2020 May 11). Social theory, photography and the visual aesthetic of cultural modernity. British Sociological Association, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/1749975520910589
Sontag, S. (1977). On Photography. Farrar, Strauss and Giroux.Â
As social media transitions from a way to stay connected to friends from afar to a modern-day alternate reality, the controversial concept of citizen journalism comes more and more into the spotlight. Eddy Borges-Rayâs 2015 article News Images on Instagram: the Paradox of Authenticity in Hyperreal Photo Reportage explains why citizen accounts on social media both contributes to and detracts from the field of professional photojournalism. The same poor practices that are outlawed in professional work earn citizen reporters merit; Pixelation, strange framing, blur, and shakey video earn Instagram users the certificate of presence. Citizen photojournalism competes with professional work to earn the praise of viewers. Bystanders are able to capture a moment as it happened, offering viewers the chance to feel like they witnessed history, whereas professionals offer viewers something different entirely. Their shots expand on what is already written and are set up in a way that it logical, photographically critical, and ethical. Borges-Rayâs article delves into the possibility that Instagram journalism may someday become a standard professional work canât compete with, and how this may result in our lives becoming totally hyperrealistic.
The contents of Borges-Rayâs article become increasingly relevant as social media gains prevalence in the everyday lives of citizens. Baudrillardâs theories on simulacrum and hyperreality provide more insight into the phenomena described in Borges-Rayâs article. Baudrillard explains how the postmodern human experience has become so engrossed in simulacra that it is a hyperrealistic simulation of reality. Real life has become replaced by false realities to such an extent that real and unreal reality are undistinguishable. This applies to the conveyance of news online by citizen journalists. Social applications form a âdigital worldâ that is distinctly different from real life; users spend time and money modeling a digital self that may or may not reflect their real persona. Citizen photojournalism is associated with this intangible online reality as it perpetuates the overt desensitization of real-life occurrences. As humanity becomes closer to a completely online reality, journalism becomes less significant.
The idea of did it really happen if you didnât Instagram it has become quite literal, to the point where photos on socials are not only more believable than bona fide journal articles, but more accessible, too. I have definitely fallen victim to the allure of firsthand accounts posted to apps like Instagram and Twitter. It is tempting to believe media and reports simply because they look authentic, even if they havenât undergone the strict vetting process inherent to professional work. To me, Borges-Rayâs article is an eloquent argument for the case of the professional photographer. He enlightens readers like myself who may have been sucked into an untrue virtual reality by warning them to stay in tune with journalism and be cautious about everything seen in the hyperreal online world.
References
Borges-Rey, E. (2015). News images on Instagram: the paradox of authenticity in hyperrealÂ
photo reportage. Digital Journalism. Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group. Mambrol, N. (2016 Apr 3). Baudrillardâs concept of hyperreality. Literary Theory and Criticism. https://literariness.org/2016/04/03/baudrillards-concept-of-hyperreality/
Over the midterm break I discovered the magical land of Vigeland Statue Park in Oslo, Norway. The park is a collection of hundreds of copper and stone statues made by artist Gustav Vigeland between 1920 and 1943. His lifeâs work revolved around portraying human emotions not commonly seen in art. Vigeland shows rage, abuse, instable relationships, unbridles joy, and the tormet of manhood in his work, among other things. I photographed some of his statues here, making sure to shoot from a low angle so as to make them appear monstrous beneath the whitewashed sky. In reality they are only about as big as a small person.
My portraits take place at the dementia care home I work at in Hailsham. This first potrait is my friend Emma, who appears quite dark and angsty to outsiders. She is strewn with tattoos, piercings, and dark hair and makeup. But when you get to know her, she is the warmest person in the world. Here she is pictured with baking equipment, which I used as a sign of kindness and innocence to contrast her dark appearance, which would typically signify badness.
In high contrast with Emma is Margaret, a patient I had met a minute before this photo was taken. Margaret is basically Emmaâs opposite in terms of appearance - wearing bright clothes, a small stature, and an innocent smiley face that will make a person melt. But from just one moment talking to her, her mischevious personality and quick wit shine through. Here she is pictured with black fuzzy devil ears, which signify cunning and mischeif in contrast to her innocent appearance.
Social codes can be used to analyze and interpret the photograph above. Clothing, body language, and the behaviour of the individuals photographed signifies the themes within.
The signifier of the interiors (peeling paint, holes, and burnt out lights) signifies that this is maybe some sort of shelter.
The newborn signifies family and birth. Similarly the womanâs robe signifies that she has given birth recently (this is a maternity robe).
The body language of the man and woman signifies family and strife. The man is cradling and looking longingly at the child, which signifies this is likely his baby. The woman faces both of them (sheâs signified as the mother) and the exasperated look on her face signifies struggle and stress. Meanwhile the unaware stances of the people in the background signifies that they are strangers sharing the room.
The boarded up windows signify the act of shielding or protecting the people within.
All of these signifiers and signifieds combined form a sign. In this case the sign. The sign this case is the scene itself, which I think is likely a safe house/bunker in Ukraine or some other war-torn country.
The town of Dungeness, UK, is an enigma. Intriguing, but not inviting. Grabbing your attention but not entertaining it for long. As if it calls your name, beckoning you to explore it, only to turn its back on you when you finally do.
This remove fishing town welcomes visitors with kilometers of brown and grey pebbles, interrupted only momentarily by a house, or boat, or walkway. An uninterrupted horizon line divided the covered ground and sky â a stark contrast of earthy beige and murky blue rippled with clouds. Rain made its incumbent presence known to all. This driftwood ramp served as an island in a sea of stones, taking us from the desolate road to the sea raging beyond.
Down by the sea, wind marked its territory. Whipping past our ears, we could hardly hear one another standing just meters away. The gulls drank it in, challenging gusts of air with the rigorous flap of their wings. The gull would appear trapped in midair, unmoving, until the wind finally ended the standstill, forcing the gull to yield back to the stoney ground. The gulls were as unfriendly as their home and flew away from us as we approached them; a true testament to the paradigm of Dungeness.
As the tide drew in and wet the soles of my shoes, I retreated to the road we arrived on. Here, pale-colored houses (in need of a paint job) provided a much-needed break from all the grey and brown. Rusted pick-up trucks and well-used boats dotted the street but there were no signs of drivers or captains. Not a single light was on in a window. Still, something about the street drove me to walk all the way to the end. Something about this place entertains you for a little while, keeping you engaged just long enough to discover something you didnât expect.
Something caught my eye in the distance; seemingly monstrous fishing boats, the size of a cruise ship, just beached on land. I thought surely there would be fishermen or women there who could give me a sense of the place. I walked for 15 minutes back onto the beach, until the blue house I came from was a speck in the distance. Only when I was up close did I realize that not only were the boats much smaller than I imagined, they, like everything else Iâd seen, were abandoned. Rather than the ocean, these boats sailed on pebbles towards nothing, captained by no more than dust. A true allegory for Dungeness â it reels you in and then dishes out next to nothing.
But then, a change in plan. I reunited with my gang and we found ourselves in the company of locals (at last!) at a small pub. It was a gaggle of people â quite the odd collection. The owner, old but cheery, with plenty of jokes to crack. A young couple in the corner, sharing chips and loving glances. A mom of two, telling me this place is nothing much, but it is home. The pub was perhaps the only thing in Dungeness that felt human. Finally I saw life in what felt for so long like a ghost town.
Potential. That is the only word that quite sums it up. Half-starved, sickly, and begging for life. Those who visit Dungeness may not find thrill, but will not soon forget the sense of mystique it brings. And though I am not running back, if you were to ask me whether you should visit, I would say nothing more than donât forget your camera.Â
The Grenfell fire of 2017 was a significant event, with 72 fatalities and 70 more injuries and missing persons cases. The condominium building was lit on fire after a mishap with a fridge in a flat on the fourth floor.
In his piece âGrenfell Britainâ, Brixton-native spoken word artist Potent Whisper expresses his socialist views on the matter through more than just his words. Rhyming and expression are used to put emphasis on the depth of the issues surrounding Grenfell. The poet does an exceedingly good job at making his points known and expressing his passion.
Many citizens and journalists agree with Potent Whisperâs view of the situation. Budget materials, such as foam insulation and polyethylene polymer exterior cladding, were used in the buildingâs construction. These materials are cheap and highly flammable compared to more expensive materials that are flame-resistant.
Younger audiences may argue against the video, seeing as Potent Whisper holds far-left political views. Politicians and corporations take no blame despite evidence of neglect of the community. Some side with the government, saying capitalism has nothing to do with the random tragedy, whereas others see it as a tragically fatal example of mistreatment of the working class.
Potent Whisperâs views may lean heavily left, but this should not be seen as a bad thing in need of hiding. Far-right views have become far more concentrated in mainstream media in the USA and UK. Is it not important, then, to balance the scales with far-left content? It is necessary to promote views from every point on the political spectrum and to produce media that supports all socioeconomic classes. This holds especially true for young adults who are in the process of forming their own political views. Potent Whisperâs content may seem extreme to certain demographics, but perhaps extreme emotion is not something to shy away from in the current political climate. Ideas from all over the map need to be seen and heard â otherwise, the values of the public are confined only to what they are shown and not to their own free thought.Â
One thing all Americans can agree on, regardless of political affiliation, is that Donald J Trump has made an irrevocable impact on our country.
News sources across the USA tend to lean into one side of the political spectrum, attracting certain audiences towards their content more than others, all the while making their opponents seem unreliable. Right-winged journalists describe Trump as a successful businessman, and a valiant trailblazer who is âmaking America great againâ. While their left-winged counterparts point out his crass nature and controversial opinions, drawing attention to his lack of valuable policies.
Of note recently is Trumpâs involvement in several civil and criminal investigations. Since his successor Joe Bidenâs inauguration, the US Department of Justice has been investigating allegations that Trump removed 15 classified files from the White House upon his departure was storing them at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida. A criminal suit on the ground of âunauthorized removal and retetion of classified documentsâ is underway. Parallel investigations surround his involvement in the attacks on the White House on January 6, 2021, claiming he incited the insurrection in an attempt to remain in power.Â
The way in which these investigations are reported tend to make Trump appear as either a martyr or a criminal, based solely on for whom they are written.
Investigations are nothing new for former President Trump, whose administration, and post-presidency, have been plagued by probes into his f
Fox News: Trumpâs Best Friend
Fox News is a far right-leaning news source that appeals to republican and Trump-supporting Americans. The former president has long supported the company as one of the countryâs only âreliableâ news sources. Journalist Brooke Singmanâs August 2022 article âTrump targeted: A look at the investigations involving the former presidentâ sides with the president, strategically using words and phrases that paint him as a victim.
The addresser of the article is a GOP-funded right-leaning news source who would benefit from his re-election in 2024, while the target audience is Trump-sympathizing republican Americans.
Apropos the Mar-a-Lago investigation, Singman reports that there was âno need for the raidâ of Trumpâs residence and that it was an âunprecedented moveâ by the FBI. These targeted phrases serve to antagonize the FBI and Department of Justice and represents the investigation as a violation of an innocent manâs privacy.Â
Singman quotes Republican Study Committee chairman Jim Banks, saying âAmerica has never had a fighter like Donald Trump,â and that âNow more than ever, we need Donald Trump back in the White House to fight for America.â The article compares the investigation as a âprobe,â a blunt invasive object poking at a blameless man. Words and quotes like these aim to martyrize Trumpâs fall from the Oval Office.
The author then explains how the flurry of Trump investigations is a strategic blockade against a return to office in 2024. Even the title of the article, âTrump Targeted,â makes the criminal inspections on Trump seem like egregious, planned attacks against him, rather than routine procedure brought upon by evidence. Singman employs buzz words and adjectives that appeal to Foxâs republican audience by praising his strength while discrediting all those who oppose him.
Not long after the National Archives acknowledged in February that it had retrieved 15 boxes of presidential records from former President D
A team of four reporters at CNN penned a late-August 2022 article titled âInside Trumpâs public bravado and private resistance over Mar-a-Lago documents,â detailing the matter. The article describes how Trump puts on a brave face in public but is actually lying to the media and legally struggling through the Mar-a-Lago investigation.
CNNâs journalists take the perspective of harsh critics of Trumpâs behaviour, writing for an audience of fellow democrats who are happy to watch the Trump administration burn.
The authors report on Trumpâs constant âreluctance to hand over more documents,â despite publicly touting the air of cooperation. A tactic CNN uses is mentioning a slew of details about documents which contained never-before-read letters between Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. The article details how Trump was reluctant to produce documents with evidence of his correspondence with Kim, taking âseven months for the Archives to finally receive the Kim letters.â This fact alone completely discredits Trumpâs morals, directing the audience to assume criminal intent. This is a detail Fox News and other right-leaning news sources gladly gloss over.
The article also mentions pro-Trump conspiracy theories going viral on the internet. The authors note how his supporters âpropagated a litany of conspiracy theories about the Mar-a-Lago search, including the baseless allegation that the FBI planted evidence while on Trumpâs property.â After having already discredited Trump, the article uses the ignorance of his online army to support what the target audience already believes;Â Trump is crazy, and so are his supporters.
Herstmonceux Castle may be a steadfast, old building, but it is livened by the energizing creatures within, causing chaos through all sorts of âgamesâ every day.
Britney Spears photographed by Frances Iacuzzi, 2019
Britney Spears is a 2000s musical icon and has paved the way for todayâs âpop princessesâ. In my opinion, this portrait of Britney by Frances Iacuzzi does nothing but fall short. If it werenât for Britneyâs recognizable face, I would tell you this was a photo of a complete stranger. The red background entirely outshines the main subject. The deep medium tone of the backdrop leaves much to be desired from the portrait, as there is barely any contrast between Britney herself and the sea of red behind her. She simply doesnât stand out, unlike the way her music career gave her such a reputation. Furthermore, the way Britney is styled makes her appear messy, dark, and dramatic. The dramatic shoulder-padded black top she dons is almost business-like, failing to bring out her fun, girly, stylish nature. Though it is true that many saw Britney as a sexually-liberated icon, she did so in a way that reflected her fun and fresh pop music. Dark eyeshadow and messy long locks age Britney beyond her image. Though she is older and no doubt different now than her peak, this portrait attempts to illustrate an entirely unrecognizable Britney Spears; one that is dark and intense. Yet the weak smolder on her face and straight-on shot conveys anything but. Perhaps the portrait would work if the styling was cleaner, or if Iacuzzi had directed her to stare rather than gaze almost blandly at the camera. All in all, this photo is messy and its message is not only ânon-Britneyâ, but is messy albeit poorly executed.
Salvador Dali photographed by Robert Descharnes (date unspecified)
Robert Descharnes was a renowned French photographer, but was also the assistant to Salvador Dali and photographed him throughout the mid-1900s. Dali was a surrealist painter and was known for his quirky, imaginative style. This portrait tells a story of his artistic genius as seen by Descharnes, one of the people who knew him best. Descharnes uses details and stages the shot in such a way to invoke a sense of understanding and also wonder. The flowers on his mustache may symbolize birth or creation, as Dali was a notorious creative. Though he is the focus, his surroundings are integral in conveying Descharnesâ message. Dali is photographed shirtless in a large body of water. Though not completely foreign (people swim in oceans all the time), something about the setting is slightly unnatural. Why not photograph Dali in his living room chair, or in front of an easel where he belongs? The answer is these locations would simply be too stale. Descharnes challenges the viewer by presenting a familiar face in an unexpected, surreal context. This idea mirrors Daliâs own art, which focused on natural beings and objects ever-so-slightly altered, so as to entice a sense of curiosity and wonder. Every part of the photograph, from the setting to the slight asymmetry of his face and hair thanks to a minute angle, lets the viewer know that this is no ordinary man. It simultaneously mirrors Daliâs art and spirit while telling his story as Descharnes sees it. What makes this portrait so great is it is fundamentally Dali and non-Dali; conveying his touch while leaving enough room for the viewer to ponder.Â
Social media allows friends, family, and complete strangers to communicate through words, photos, and videos at an unprecedented speed and quantity. The dilemma with social media is how all-encompassing it has become. Social media has transformed from a social platform to a primary news source.Â
Emily Bell, director of the Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, stated during a 2014 lecture that âIf there is free press, journalists are no longer in charge of it. Engineers who rarely think about journalism⊠are making decisions every day that shape how news is created and disseminated.â She then argues that engineers are likely blithely unaware of their effect on journalism, but despite this ignorance, every edit, algorithm, or line of code makes a decision on what people do and do not read.
Some might argue against this. Tech companies control what is published online to some degree, but they have no power over what these publications say. News spreads in plenty of ways, just as weâve been doing for centuries. Does news not get just as construed when conveyed offline? I, for one, have to agree with Bellâs point of view. The free press takes on an entirely new meaning when it is owned by non-journalists.Â
It begins when any person with an opinion opens a public account on social media. Before the time of the internet, people could still share offensive and falseful information. The difference lies in the fact that in a matter of seconds, that information can reach a worldwide audience. Anyone can become an internationally-acclaimed journalist, and their only prerequisite is WiFi. The creators of social media sites unknowingly give citizens the power to create a false reality; this fact, though perhaps unintentional, is innate to the existence of social media.Â
Engineers influence what we read online to a high degree by promoting posts that increase website traffic and increase their profits. âClickbaitingâ is a phenomenon where sources embellish and introduce attention-grabbing phrases into their headlines. When publications are subject to the scrutiny of meticulous editors, this wouldnât fly. Online, though, whatever gets clicks sticks. Algorithms promote the posts that are interacted with most - whether the information within them is true or not. Millions of Americans believe that vaccines cause autism, all because a faulty article from 1998 went viral online. If software engineers had not written the algorithms that allowed these falsehoods to circulate, the Antivax movement might not exist.Â
Another equally concerning case is post reporting. When a large audience agrees they dislike a post, the platformâs engineers will remove it. Despite their limited knowledge on the validity of an argument, they determine what stays and what goes. Every article we read online is only read by us because some employee allowed it to exist.Â
It is in the best interest of the public world to get rid of social media altogether, but nowadays this idea is so far-fetched and unrealistic that Iâm sure it will never happen. Posting online is all we know. In this tech-minded world chocked full of lies, social media is our religion. Software engineers play God with every algorithm they code.
My first week at Bader College was defined by the death of this countryâs long-reigning Monarch.
This photo shows a very small part of the Green Park floral tribute to Queen Elizabeth II in London. Taken just a few hours after her funeral at Westminster Abbey.
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