- What's the role of photo journalism?

Photo journalism is a particular form of journalism which is the collecting, editing, and presenting of news material for publication or broadcast, they create images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalists create pictures that contribute to the news media.

- Are there rules that photojournalists should follow? Why? Why not?

Photojournalists operate as trustees of the public. Their primary role is to report visually on the significant events and varied viewpoints in our common world. Their primary goal is to produce faithful and comprehensive depiction of the subject at hand. As photojournalists, they have the responsibility to document society and to preserve its history through images.

- Is the ethics of taking journalistic photos different than the ethics of writing a news story?

There are the new ethical issues raised by the rise of new image technology. These images include both photographs and video. Citizens and professional journalists have new and easy ways to capture and transmit images, such as cell phones linked to the internet via wireless technology. They have new technologies for altering and manipulating these images.

Another issue is whether a journalist or a citizen used technology to alter the photograph, e.g. to add an object to the picture or to take an object out. The manipulation of images is so tempting that mainstream newsrooms have fired a string of photojournalists over the past decade to discourage fraudulent practices.

Even with manipulation, not all issues are clear.

Photojournalists often talk about how it is permitted to change the ‘technical’ aspects of a picture such as altering slightly the tone or color of a photo. But they draw the line at any further changes. Changing the meaning or content of the image so as to mislead viewers is considered unethical.

However, the line between a technical change and a change is not always clear. An image maker can enhance the colors of a photo until it is quite unlike the original picture of the object or the event.

- What's the impact of altering press photographs? Should they be edited (at all) in postproduction?

Altering press photographs should not be allowed because it changes the viewer’s perception and can impact society in many ways. Photographs can be altered to a certain extent, and depending on its use of purpose, these changes can be very limited. Only limited alteration should be done in post-production which includes changing the brightness, contrast, etc. just to improve the quality of the image. Taking someone out of the photo, or placing someone in the photo, changing the background or structures, altering facial expressions and features, are all examples of alteration which are strictly prohibited as stated in the list of guidelines all photo journalists should follow.