Which would you have run?
Monday, February 25, 2008
Ethics and Photo Editing
Check out these two images from the two Detroit papers' sites (click to link to site). Both have text stories about the possible suicide of a news anchor that read pretty much the same. But the photo editing choice of deciding to run her promotional headshot vs. her police mugshot changes the way the story plays on the page.
Which would you have run?
Which would you have run?
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7 comments:
i would have run both images side by side. it's funny how the article showing her police mug made her seem a bit crazy while the article showing her news photo made her seem like a victim to unfortunate circumstances.
I think I would have run the press photo. The one people would actually recognize as the subject of the story. I don't think the mug shot adds anything to the story regardless of whether she was unfortunate or crazy or both.
I would have run the mug.
At first glance, I thought the studio shot was of the reporter who worked on that story and not the subject of the story.
I also think it's interesting that the story using her mug shot starts off from the perspective of her former co-workers at the news channel, rather than just telling the facts. It certainly has a People Magazine feel to it.
I think my first thought when I saw the presentation of both articles was 'how would her family feel?' I know that that can't always be the main consideration, but I wonder what real value to the public came out of printing that mug shot. It definitely made me feel differently toward her and affected how much sympathy I felt for her situation. Especially since she was somewhat of a public figure in her community, it seems like this depiction of her would do nothing but disturb their audiences.
I'd run the press photo and leave the mug shot for the tabloids. But I agree with what Richie said - the the placement of the photo does look like a reporter's headshot.
I like the idea of running both side by side - that way readers get the full story that does not cater to a certain image.
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