Blog exercise FIVE.


For this exercise, we're to tackle two questions that target specifically to the area of ethics.


1. What are the ways readers can judge the credibility of an image even in this era of digital manipulation?

As shown by the examples given during lecture, it is very difficult to judge the credibility of an image given the technologies available in this era. Even a journalistic photograph can be manipulated and passed off as an authentic photograph.

In the commercial field and in the field of fashion, I think it is important for readers to have an awareness of what digital manipulation is capable of. Even our wedding photographs are being digitally manipulated, much less to talk about fashion magazines and advertisements!

Therefore, I think it's important that readers first and foremost have an understanding of what digital manipulation is capable of, such that they may not be naively deceived by the images they see on fashion magazines and on advertisements. It is important that the mass audience should develop a healthy dosage of cynicism against the mass media, lest be naive believers of the mass media.

Next, I think it is still possible for the discerning to spot photographs that are digitally manipulated. Traits like flawlessly airbrushed skins and breasts are common among fashion magazines. Also it can prove helpful that the reader maintain a healthy and realistic perspective on beauty. This way, the reader would be able to discern unrealistic and artificial beauty.

I think the trickier part would come under journalistic photography. If a digitally manipulated photograph managed to pass off as an authentic one, how do we know for sure if all the photos we see are in fact not digitally manipulated?

The presence of many different news outlets can help provide choices for comparison. Readers can compare pieces of news they received from one outlet with other outlets, thus verifying the authenticity of a particular news information.

Also, the reputation of the news outlet is very important. This is not to say that we should blindly believe in news outlets that are reputable. However, reputation that has been built up over the years do speak a lot for themselves. News outlets that are reputable are more likely to be trustworthy as compared to news outlets with a poor reputation.


2. Imagine yourself as a reader representative for a newspaper. What would you tell a reader who complained to you about a picture of a car wreck that was particularly upsetting?

In most decent newspapers, photographs of car wrecks are seldom published online. Usually photographs of car wrecks are only published when the occurrence of such accidents are very rare and/or to warn the public from the possibility of meeting such accidents.

Sometimes photographs of car wrecks that are occurs very rarely are depicted on newspapers too. But generally, photographs of car wrecks are not displayed to bring harm or shame to the victims and families of the victims. They are mostly to educate the public on the possibility of such accidents occurring, and is they were to go on road trips in the future, they should pay attention to such possibilities.

If the purpose of the photograph is to serve as a warning to the public, I would explain to the reader the significance of such educating efforts.

For example, the government may choose to display gory footage of car accidents for the sake of educating against drink driving. I remember once seeing on "Crime Watch" the police showing recorded footages of accidents that occurred because of drink driving. Although the footages were disgusting and horrific, they did manage to drive home the message of not drink driving.

Hence, although the photographs may be displeasing to the eye, at times they are needed to bring across certain messages, such as in educating the public.