Recently we witnessed one of the most documented events in history with the inauguration of President Barack Obama. From most every angle, historic moments were captured.
Documentary photography is a powerful tool — we’re talking about real events in real time.
Why then, with all of the photo choices available to news organizations last week, would an image need to be manipulated?
One such image, taken by McClatchy-Tribune photographer Chuck Kennedy at the foot of the inaugural podium, was altered to extend the sky in at least two U.S. publications — presumably to allow room for words to run over the photo. Those pixels were not a part of the original image.
Poynter Online has published photo manipulation guidelines from a dozen news organizations around the U.S. (see sidebar). The National Press Photographers Association and the Society for News Design have also drafted strong statements and guidelines for ethical standards of images.
To see our archived chat on photo manipulation and the inauguration, just click the replay button below.
<a href=”http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=fa0f13b886″ >A Poynter Live Chat About Photo Manipulation</a>
