DB 9 - Presentation Week 9: Shooting the truth: Photojournalism

I did not know much about photojournalism until I read this week's presentation. I was interested in knowing that photojournalism creates a story through the photographs is really amazing in my opinion. I think that photojournalism is really important to the field of photography for the present and the future. I was fascinated about photojournalism having rules about press photographs and about how much they can be altered due to their being no police for changing photographs that go into newspapers and the media.  "Photojournalists must also be sensitive about some ethical situations particularly where grief, death, embarrassment, possible negative stereotyping, and criminality are involved. Ethical standards must be observed. Sabotaging other journalists' efforts, taking gifts or accepting in order to influence coverage, paying sources, editing that reduces the integrity of images and content are forbidden (NPPA Code of Ethics, 2011)."
This rule made sense to me as even though your competing agianst another photojournalist you should not sabotage their efforts just because you want to be the one that takes the better photograph and beat your competition and in my opinion that is not right and any photojournalist that sabotages another photojournalist on purpose does not deserve to be called a photojournalist much less a photographer.
I agree with Amanda a photojournalist will try to take a photograph at the perfect moment and not leave out details to alter or enhance the image as it is unethical to make changes to a photograph in the media. News stories are in my opinion meant to be as accurate as possible with facts supporting it to avoid misrepresent a story. I agree with this statement "if it is a misrepresentation of facts, it is not a credible report." If you have the wrong facts about a story in the media than the story is not credibile.
I slso agree with Huy because if a photojournalist alters a press photograph and puts it into a newspaper and some people read it and will beclieve the story and photograph even if both are not true. That would prove putting a fake story to sell a newspaper is more important than telling the people reading that newspaper the truth. I also agree if an altered press photograph is put on a newspaper and the people find out it raises some unwanted questions that the photojournalist does not want to answer.I agree with Huy agian there is at times exceptions to be made when you alter a press photograph.
Overall, I felt this presentation was a good one and I liked reading about photojournalism, the rules and code of ethics. Very well done Shayan, Amanda and Huy I liked your presentation and the pictures were very good. Nicely done and a very interesting topic.