DIGITAL MANIPULATION

SEEING IS BELIEVING

One image is more powerful than 1,000 words. In fact it is true. Reporting truth is the basic of the basic of journalistic ethics. Digital manipulation cannot be exception to this fact. We see and believe so it must remain as it is.

NO PLUS NO MINUS

There should be no any alteration, deception, manipulation and false representation of the original photos. Truth, accuracy and facts should be in tact in the images.Click here  No plus no minus is the simple rule to digital manipulation.

We can do anything with the image  being within the ethical norms but we cannot do anything to change its originality, facts, truth and accuracy.

HISTORY

We can trace the  history of photo  manipulation since the newspaper started to publish photographs.  The first incident of  photo manipulation was recorded in early 1860s. Then US President Abraham Lincoln's photo was altered  from a portrait of John C. Calhoun. It is said that the same photo became the basis of the five dollar note. View these photos.

With easy new technology, photo manipulation business is thriving. There are many instances of tampering of images in the recent years including Adnan Hajj's photos of Lebanon and several other photographers in the USA and other parts of the world.

 FAKE REDUCE DOWN

Many such photo corrupt photographers have reduced down to the dust. Susan Sontag says: "photographs, which fiddle with the scale of the world, themselves get reduced, blown up, cropped, retouched, doctored and tricked out."

GUIDELINES

According to the Reuters news agency guidelines , certain amount of editing and positive change like crop  size  and balance the tone and colour of the image  including "basic colour correction, subtle lightening darkening of zones, sharpening, removal of dust and other minor adjustments" is acceptable in manipulation.

"No excessive lightening, darkening or blurring of the image, cloning, healing or brush tools are not to be used tampering" the photos. Seeing is believing so it must not be tampered  destryong the originality and facts.

What do you think of these photos? Is it ethical and acceptable? Do the facts, accuracy and truth remain same?