The Availability of Digital Machines - Essay Example

Paper Outline Introductory Paragraph The availability of digital machines, which can manipulate photographs and direct subjects, has made it possible to produce edited images, which manipulate the truth from the original factual images. This paper describes how edited images can change the content of factual reality, and reputation of journalists and reporters, with reference to Brian Walski controversial Iraqi photographs. 2. Body Paragraphs Paragraph 1: A controversial photograph created by Walski when he amalgamated two separate images into one superb illegitimate photograph Paragraph 2: Walski’s actions damaged the reputation and credibility of LA Times, international reporters, and international journalists. Paragraph 3: Pedro Meyer argues that LA Times dismissed Walski for no apparent reason, since companies, as LA Times requires professional photographers and journalist like Walski. Paragraph 4: Meyer and his proponents are obvious political bias. They only consider one side of the story and neglect the other suffering side. In addition, manipulated images do not affect the image itself, but the images of highly reputed international journalists and reporters. 3. Conclusion Paragraph Manipulated images damages the reputation and credibility of media houses, and highly reputed international photographers and journalists. Manipulating Photographs, Loss of Credibility Over the last two centuries, many people have been putting a lot of blame on media materials such as newspapers, magazines, and television reports for spreading lies about politics and the world. The availability of digital machines, which can manipulate photographs and direct subjects, has made it possible to produce edited images, which manipulate the truth from the original factual images. It is not wrong to argue that current newspapers and magazines are filled with subtle and clever tricks that are used to deceive the public. It is, therefore, advisable to examine images and photographs featured in widely respected magazine and newspaper articles critically, and possibly identify how it has been used to deceive the public. For instance, on April 1 2011, Brian Walski, a staff photographer for the Los Angeles Times Working in Iraq, was fired after his editors identified that he had used two of his Iraqi photographs into one, to improve its composition. This paper, therefore, describes how photographs can be manipulated to change the whole meaning of the original information to lose its credibility, by using Brian Walski controversial Iraqi photographs. In Walski’s photograph, there is an armed British soldier and Iraqi citizens in Basra. The soldier is gesturing at the Iraqi civilians, apparently urging them to take cover, while a standing man carrying a young child in his arms appears to look at the soldier astonishingly. This controversial photograph featured in page one of some leading newspapers such as Hartford Courant, Times, and the LA Times, has met many critics from the public (Lester 258). This photograph is believed to be bogus: a computer-generated amalgam of two separate images combined into one image. In one photograph (un-manipulated) image, the soldier is not featured gesturing and looking at the standing man holding a child (Lester 258). In the second photograph, also un-manipulated, the soldier appears to gesture dramatically, and the standing man holding a child is much less visible (Lester 261). Therefore, it is not wrong to conclude that Walski generated amalgam of two separate images into one superb illegitimate one. The trick used in this photograph was discovered after Walski’s editors identified duplication of people and elements in the photograph’s background (Lester 263). After discovering the bogusness in this photograph, Walski was confronted, and he accepted his summary punishment. Walski’s action is not so tragic to the photo he created, but to the reputation of journalists all over the globe: their credibility. In fact, Pedro Meyer commented that Walski’s action had a little impact on the content of the information he was conveying. In his website, he further said that the LA Times dismissed Walski for no apparent reason since the combined images he sent did not change the content of the story he was telling (Lester 259). He suggests that LA Times’ action to dismiss Walski for producing a bogus image was to protect itself from the fact that they used this trick to cover up reality, which was happening in Iraq. They also apply this strategy in continuing their responsibility of bringing to the public any news other than what Whitehouse, or the Pentagon wants them to publish (Lester 259). Meyer’s arguments are only significant in some situations; however, it is true that he exactly got this wrong. Is it possible for LA Times to fire its employees for performing professional jobs of developing creative and better pictures, just like any of their journalist would polish a text to make it more appealing to the public? Moreover, if it is not, then why will it dismiss a photographer for doing a professional job? It is believable that by dismissing Walski, LA Times was trying to maintain the factual reality of their one-sided and biased presentation of the overall news. Meyer and some of his proponents are obvious political biased as they only concentrate on one side of the ongoing tragedy in Iraq such as “war atrocities on civilians by US bombs,” (Lester 265) but they at all do not mention the problems faced by the Iraqi civilians, and solutions that can end United States invasion on Iraq. These people are; therefore, wrong to assert that the combined photographs developed by Walski into one image do not alter the content of the story. Just like the key words in direct quotes, it is also difficult to manipulate key elements of new images (Lester 261). This is the reason why it is very possible for photograph editors to notice any element or human content in images. Changing the content of the original photographs did not harm the photograph itself, but the reputation of the general journalism family. This will expose other photographers and reporters into the lime light to account for their credibility in their job. There is usually a stiff competition for limited space in magazines and newspapers. This is what eventually leads to more temptation to develop bogus photos by either digital manipulation or directing the subject (Lester 260). Moreover, wireless transmission and digital cameras causes less accountability. Accountability is usually possible when one can prove the validity of his or her action. However, in Walski’s case photographs have key elements just as quotes have key words, which are difficult to manipulate. Therefore, it is obvious to believe that Walski produced this controversial photograph by either digital manipulation or directing the subject. In conclusion, many people are currently putting too much blame on the media for providing them with bogus information. This act is usually aided with the availability of digital machines that can manipulate photographs and direct subjects. While some people argue that manipulating photographs only has a little effect on the content of the story being told, it should be noted that it is also a way of looking on one side of a situation, and ignoring the other side. It is understood that some photographers and reporters manipulate photographs because they are given less time to produce many images, as they compete for limited spaces in the newspapers. However, it is also necessary to note that creation of bogus photographs does not only change the content of information, but it also damages the reputation and accountability of the entire journalism family. Works Cited Lester P. L. Visual Communication: Images with Messages. New York: Cengage Learning, 2006. Print Read More