News- no, it's propoganda - Page 16

Alex · 08-08-2006, 09:43 AM

Yes it is, and I'm sure some junior editor is in serious hot water right now. But when you have sat on a flow of 25,000 photos over the last year (number made up), none of which were manipulated it is simply psychologically difficult to keep the proper level of skepticism.

The primary role of the photo editor is to 1) make sure the photo is topical and has journalistic interest, and 2) that it is is of sufficient quality for publication (in focus, reasonably color correct, horizon is level). In role #2, photo editors can approve certain modifications such as recropping, focusing, levelling, etc., but the photographers are not supposed to be making those decisions.

The various freelancers on the scene in Lebanon and Israel are each probably submitting hundreds or even thousands of photographs a day (they get paid for what is used, so throw it all at the wall) and the editor probably only has an an hour or two to go through them all, decide what will be uploaded to the wire and then get on to the next batch. He's probably primarily interested in technical details and I imagine it is easy to get into a stage where you can't see the forest for the trees.

Gemini Cricket · 08-08-2006, 09:47 AM

Ralphie met a gentleman a couple of weeks ago who takes photos of New England area for tourism fliers. He said that altering photos is common in the tourism field. He showed Ralphie a shot of a lighthouse that would be impossible to photograph in the way it was presented. The lighting was fabricated and the background was different from the one you'd see if you actually visited the spot.

That's different from Reuters, but I thought it was interesting. The photo was very convincing.

SacTown Chronic · 08-08-2006, 09:54 AM

I remember when CBS got in trouble for piping in phony bird calls during their golf telecasts. They were busted by viewers who knew that the birds behind the calls were not indigenous to wherever the tournament was being held.

CBS copped to the shenanigans and now they only play sounds from birds that don't exist.

scaeagles · 08-08-2006, 09:57 AM

I never heard that. How amusing.

Gemini Cricket · 08-08-2006, 09:57 AM

Speaking of bird calls... Didn't someone also reveal that the Dean scream was altered to sound louder?

SacTown Chronic · 08-08-2006, 09:59 AM

It was altered to reduce the sound of crowd noise, GC.

Alex · 08-08-2006, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

That's different from Reuters, but I thought it was interesting. The photo was very convincing.

Yeah, a good rule of thumb is to never assume a photo used for marketing purposes is unaltered. They almost always are.

At MousePlanet a "journalistic" photo is never altered except perhaps for color and contrast correction. Otherwise the only editorial choice I get is in cropping. But "non-journalistic" photos, desktops and the home page leader graphic for example, frequently are photoshopped to remove distracting elements or create a more pleasing artistic object. For example, a desktop photo (the purpose is artistic not informational) of the castle might be photoshopped to remove a stray person that wandered in frame but in a photo accompanying article I would never do that.

LSPoorEeyorick · 08-08-2006, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SacTown Chronic

It was altered to reduce the sound of crowd noise, GC.

Hmm. Who did that?

Nephythys · 08-08-2006, 04:01 PM

Reuters continues to shred their credibility

08-08-2006, 09:43 AM	#151
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	Yes it is, and I'm sure some junior editor is in serious hot water right now. But when you have sat on a flow of 25,000 photos over the last year (number made up), none of which were manipulated it is simply psychologically difficult to keep the proper level of skepticism. The primary role of the photo editor is to 1) make sure the photo is topical and has journalistic interest, and 2) that it is is of sufficient quality for publication (in focus, reasonably color correct, horizon is level). In role #2, photo editors can approve certain modifications such as recropping, focusing, levelling, etc., but the photographers are not supposed to be making those decisions. The various freelancers on the scene in Lebanon and Israel are each probably submitting hundreds or even thousands of photographs a day (they get paid for what is used, so throw it all at the wall) and the editor probably only has an an hour or two to go through them all, decide what will be uploaded to the wire and then get on to the next batch. He's probably primarily interested in technical details and I imagine it is easy to get into a stage where you can't see the forest for the trees.
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08-08-2006, 09:47 AM	#152
Gemini Cricket ... Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 13,244	Ralphie met a gentleman a couple of weeks ago who takes photos of New England area for tourism fliers. He said that altering photos is common in the tourism field. He showed Ralphie a shot of a lighthouse that would be impossible to photograph in the way it was presented. The lighting was fabricated and the background was different from the one you'd see if you actually visited the spot. That's different from Reuters, but I thought it was interesting. The photo was very convincing.
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08-08-2006, 09:54 AM	#153
SacTown Chronic the myth of the dream Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 2,217	I remember when CBS got in trouble for piping in phony bird calls during their golf telecasts. They were busted by viewers who knew that the birds behind the calls were not indigenous to wherever the tournament was being held. CBS copped to the shenanigans and now they only play sounds from birds that don't exist.
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08-08-2006, 09:57 AM	#154
scaeagles I LIKE! Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 7,819	I never heard that. How amusing.
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08-08-2006, 09:57 AM	#155
Gemini Cricket ... Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 13,244	Speaking of bird calls... Didn't someone also reveal that the Dean scream was altered to sound louder?
	Submit to Quotes

08-08-2006, 09:59 AM	#156
SacTown Chronic the myth of the dream Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 2,217	It was altered to reduce the sound of crowd noise, GC.
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08-08-2006, 04:01 PM	#159
Nephythys Yeah, that's about it- Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: In a state of constant crap to get done Posts: 2,688	Reuters continues to shred their credibility
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