Manipulated Images

Individually, respond in writing to the following prompt: "In The New York Times article, the author writes: 'Indeed a manipulated image, which is often more powerful than the sum of its parts, can affect not just visual perception but opinions, as well.' Reflect on this statement. Then draft a position statement to guide photojournalists and news editors in their work. What specific power do photos have to tell the truth and how should photojournalists and news editors respect this power? What specific guidelines should photojournalists and news editors take to limit image manipulations, posed events, and other types of fakery? What counts as manipulation and what counts as reasonable editing, cropping or enhancement?"


An image is a very powerful instrument which can be used in order to help or to harm someone. Many scientists agree that our thoughts are made up of images and if so, images are easiest to understand for our brain. Very often we accept images as they are, without even having a back thought if it is fake or real. Unfortunately people learned how to manipulate images and therefore to manipulate minds.

With the help of an image it is possible to gain some control over a group of people in order to make them buy something, use different services and even vote for someone. People are used to take an image as a truth and for many of them it is hard to tell a fake image from a real one. I agree that a manipulated image can affect not just visual perception but also opinions. Providing false information to the audience in order to achieve a personal goal cannot be justified by any means and should not be included in any news sources.

I think that manipulated images can reach public only in the entertainment form or as a type of tabloid media, but every journalist has to make sure not to use edited photographs for the news sources. Edited photographs are suitable for satires, posters and sometimes advertisements, but only when the audience can tell that the photograph was edited or it says so by the author of the photograph.

It is very hard to draw a line between manipulating and reasonable editing, I think that it is up to the audience to decide whether a photograph was manipulated or not. But in order to avoid confusion an author of a photograph has to specify whether the photograph was edited or not, and if yes, then how.