Friday, October 4, 2019
Graphics Image in the Media Essay Example for Free
Graphics Image in the Media Essay The graphical portrayal of hostility, disaster and even death is generally essential to broadcast and print media. People are attracted to a gruesome but actual picture of life and it is where the public draws its sense of reality. A visual representation or picture normally has more effect than a broadcasted or published story. This is because its power to influence people surpasses spoken or written words. The media industry is subjected to the unwanted but common principle of â€Å"if it bleeds, it leads and is fatally attracted to the harsh journalism world where photographers, who produce graphic images of grim and emotional moments, are the ones being acknowledged and awarded more. As a result, the broadcast and print media is faced with a dilemma of commercially promoting the industry by inevitably sacrificing its ethical standard. Thus, viewers and readers tend to be offended and attracted to such graphical representations of real life events at the same time. The public wants to learn and feel the drama behind an incident but refuse to accept and confront its awkward details. However, the power of the media to influence people with its graphical depiction of events entails a responsibility. Media is bound by its obligation to present to the public what it deserves to know. Graphic images in the media, as a representation of reality, should never cease to exist despite the controversies and objections.            Media organizations are oftentimes assailed or criticized after airing or publishing a controversial graphic image that presents, for instance, a dead person or grieving victims of real-life events such as violence and calamities. Viewers and readers attack the editors and most specifically the photographers for being apathetic or insensitive and for making the pain of the person(s) worse by displaying the picture. Nevertheless, the photographer responsible and his or her editor are both obliged to present reality as it truly happens. On the other hand, these media practitioners defend themselves by arguing that it is innate for humans to have morbid enchantment with hostilities and calamities. It is just sad to note that these are the same critics who charge the media people for being insensitive and for taking advantage of the sufferings of others. The Boston Photographs            No matter how gruesome, graphic images are commonly used and known to ignite more dramatic reactions from people than stories. According to Nora Ephron, disturbing pictures of any incidents need to be shown to the public either through broadcast or publication. The fact that such graphic images affect or move the feeling of the public is exactly what pictures should be which in turn make photojournalism much more powerful than print media.            Ephrons article titled â€Å"The Boston Photographs†talks about the legality and ethical justification of printing controversial graphic images. Ephron discussed the pictures of a rescue attempt, captured in consecutive manner that unfortunately went wrong. â€Å"The Boston Photographs†depicts a woman who was attempting to get out from her burning apartment building. However, while escaping and during her rescue, the woman fell to her death after her flat’s fire escape crumbled. The publication of the graphic images of the dead woman resulted into a lot of dispute from offended people who felt and reasoned that it was inappropriate and uncalled for to publish images of a dead person. However, despite the negative reactions and criticisms, Ephron confirmed the publication of the photographs and reasoned that they were exemplary representation of reality that needs to be printed. Ephron is justified in promoting and fighting for the printing of the said pictures simply because of the fact that human accident and even death are major realities of life.            Regardless of the dramatic intensity created by the said graphic images and their alleged ethical violation, the public has the right to view the actual happenings of the real world including death. A lot of people were offended with the coming of the â€Å"The Boston Photographs†where in Ephron defended that â€Å"death happens to be one of life’s main events.†Again, it was just unfortunate to state that many people in our society usually let their emotions prevail and ignore the basic responsibility of the media to present the truth to the public.            Ephron wrote about three arguable graphic images of a failed rescue attempt that were captured by Boston Herald American Newspaper photographer Stanley Forman. With the use of a motor driven camera, Forman was able to take three frames per second of the famous â€Å"Fire on Marlborough Street!†on July 22, 1975. The first graphic image pictured a fireman who is trying to rescue a woman and a child. A collapsing fire escape was shown on the second graphic image. The last graphic image was the most controversial as it showed how the rescue attempt failed as the woman and her daughter fell from their apartment window resulting in the woman dying on the spot while her daughter survived as she landed on her mothers body.            Criticizing from the graphic images of the helpless victims alone, it can be ethically challenged that such gruesome pictures were used and published to gain commercial prominence or profit. A critic can even argue that the pictures were not representations of reality as they were captured with the primary intention of getting ones attention. However, Ephron was able to make her article very easy to be understood. Ephron succeeded in presenting all the components of the incident. She initially told about the details of the particular fire accidents. She continued by presenting how the readers reacted to the graphic image. Ephron further presented another angle when she disclosed the views as well as reactions of the newspaper editors. Citing a particular example, Ephron also included in her article how former managing editor of the Washington Star explained his personal view about publishing the three graphic images. In whole, the Ephron article was able to justify the existence and utilization of graphic images by the media industry by defending its necessity and importance in reminding people that such reality happen in everyday life. 9/11 Terrorist Attacks Aside from the famous Forman fire photo, another incident in the American history that was vividly presented in a lot of graphic images was the events of September 11. According to the news article by Jim Rutenberg and Felicity Barringer, the news producers had a difficult time sorting out the graphic images taken after the attack on the World Trace Center on September 11, 2001. Meanwhile, in her article from the Christian Science Monitor, Susan Leach cited Moeller who said that the controversies and arguments about the graphic images of tragic incidents such as the September 11 terrorist attacks resulted from the public notion that the media is using such gruesome pictures for commercial purposes. These marketing strategies are used primarily to gain profit such as to grab the peoples attention, lure the readers to buy the publication and prevent the viewers to switch their channels. Moeller, a professor of media and international affairs at the University of Maryland, adds: â€Å"[e]ven when the public is distressed by difficult images, if that news outlet is transparent about its reasons for running those pictures there has generally been very little outcry and protest, and often support for that ethical decision.†(qtd. in Leach).            The previous article also stated that one important component in justifying and deciding how the media uses graphic images of a tragic event is the nearness of the incident. Moeller further explained that if something is geographically distant and psychologically distant as well [with] no close emotional ties to the area, then the home media is a lot more likely to use graphic images.† One particular example is the coverage of the Madrid bombing incident as an aftermath of the September 11 US attacks. Moeller commented on how reserved the British media were, just like the American media when it covered and presented the 9/11 incident. â€Å"In other words, they really didnt show body parts, Moeller noted (qtd. in Leach).            In contrast, a comprehensive coverage of the collapse of the World Trade Center was depicted in a lot and more graphic images outside the U.S. According to editor Naureckas, the worldwide audience of the 9/11 attacks did not need to receive a discreet graphic images of falling pieces of the twin towers and carnage of thousands of people in order to be updated of the event. Rather, the use of more vivid and even gruesome pictures is necessary for other people to feel the pain and sympathize with the American people (qtd. in Leach). To cite an an example, Naureckas said: â€Å"if you were in another country where people who live in New York might be an abstraction, then seeing the actual person jumping out the window might have brought you closer to the event†(qtd. in Leach). Limitations            As stated earlier, the use of graphic images in the media is a privilege but it requires responsibility. Thus, it has to have some limitations. Effective limitations and conditions can be considered an otherwise absolute interpretation of â€Å"freedom of the press.†The restriction, editing, or censorship of graphic images (especially gruesome and controversial pictures) may be done by an independent body that governs and has authority over the media industry or it can start from the media organization itself by depending on the fair, critical and objective wisdom and judgment of its management as well as editors. In doing so, concerns whether graphic images in the media should be aired or not, or print or not can be addressed.            Ethical behavior may be in accordance with standards put up by the media organizations. These standards may be useful but usually vague thus they cannot anticipate any eventuality. Citing as an example is the Code of Ethics that media members generally follow. However, it fails particularly identify gruesome situations as depicted by graphic images. Generally, the â€Å"Code of Ethics†includes a provision where photographers â€Å"should at all times maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct.†Photojournalism â€Å"is worthy of the very best thought and effort, and members should â€Å"maintain high standards of ethical conduct (qtd. in Lester).            The issue of ethical standards, in the media in line with its choice to use graphic images, was what The Post freelance columnist Nick Clooney emphasized in his column titled â€Å"Media should use ethics standards.†According to Clooney, it is the responsibility of the media to abide with a set of ethical standards. He added that the moral guidelines should emanate and practiced within the industry and thus should not be violated by his colleagues. In citing a particular case that called for the setting of ethical standards in the media, Clooney mentioned the publishing of a tabloid of a picture of a rape trial victim which he said violated the privacy of that person. Clooney stressed that such instance of showing a graphic image by print media made him angry. This is because such sensationalism by what he called the â€Å"news quacks or the scandal-mongers and entertainers posing as journalist†violated not only ones privacy but the moral standing of the media. Clooney was not at all opposed to the use of graphic image in the media but rather concern that there is still a need for ethical standards that will guide and uphold the dignity of the media profession. Finally, Clooney did not give up the situation as he hoped that news media people will have sufficient ethical or moral standards and regard to the privacy of the public (Clooney).            In addressing conditions and graphic images of events and calamity victims, media practitioners are faced with the dilemma or arguments whether to capture and publish the picture or not (Lester). According to Lester and from the circumstances presented, media should generally expect that the public is inclined to criticize a controversial graphic image if some conditions are present. These include the following conditions: â€Å"[if] it was taken by a staff photographer; [if] it comes from a local story; [if] the image is printed in color; [if] the image is printed in a morning paper; [if] the image is printed on the front page; [if] it has no story accompaniment; [if] it shows people overcome with grief; [if] it shows the victim’s body; [if] the body is physically traumatized; [if] the victim is a child; and [if] nudity is involved.†Taking into consideration the said limitations, it can be resolved that the use of graphic i mages in the media is essential but not absolutely free. These limitations are proven useful in order not to be hit by possible firestorms or reactions coming from the offended public (Lester). Conclusion            A picture, indeed, is worth a thousand words. However, no one can ever determine how much history account, feeling, idea, and gut wrenching response some images are worth or can interpret. While the use of graphic images in the media is necessary and critically important in conveying a message or even replacing a whole story, broadcast and print journalists are still bound by a sense of responsibility. Media has the obligation to be sensitive and conscious to the possible negative effects of using gruesome graphic images. Thus, certain limitations have to be in place. However and most importantly, media is still obligated to present the truth even to the extent of painfully showing the realities of life. Works Cited Sophronia, Nora. â€Å"The Boston Photographs.†Envision: Persuasive Writing in a Visual World. Ed. Alfano, Christine and Alyssa O’Brien. New York: Longman Publishers, 2005. Leach, Susan Llewelyn. â€Å"How to tell story of the dead without offending the living.†The        Christian Science Monitor. 19 January 2005. www.csmonitor.com Lester, Paul Martin, â€Å"Photojournalism: An Ethical Approach.†1999. College of  Communications, California State University, Fullerton. 24 March 2008          http://commfaculty.fullerton.edu/lester/writings/chapter4.html Rutenberg, Jim and Felicity Barringer. â€Å"After the Attacks: the Ethics; News Media Try to Sort out Policy on Graphic Images.†The New York Times. 25 March 2008 http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980CE2DE1038F930A2575AC0A9679C8B63
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