International Festival of Photojournalism, Visa Pour L’Image, Article, New York Times
The highly respected World Press Photo Contest triggered outrage in March when it awarded then withdrew the top honour to Giovanni Troilo an Italian photographer who falsified the locality of a photograph. The photojournalism festival, Visa Pour L’Image, announced it would not exhibit the World Press Photo winners’ photography in protest to the controversy. The dispute continued on at a panel discussion with the director of Visa Pour L’Image Jean-Francois Leroy who supported his choice whereas, Lars Boering, the managing director of the World Press Photo Foundation attempted to re-establish the contest by ensuring a review of the rules and a written code of ethics. ‘Who sets the boundaries of what defines photojournalism?’ ‘When technology makes it so easy to manipulate images, how much manipulation is acceptable?’ The issue became even more prominent when a photograph was released revealing the true extent of the migrant crisis, the image of a dead Syrian child clearly depicts the influential control photojournalism has to expose the truth and demand the attention of the public. Mr. Boering announced that he would be reaching out to other leading award groups to discuss standards and ethics. ‘Witnessing the world’. article
Questions to consider after reading the article:
- Who sets the boundaries of what defines photojournalism?
- What technology makes it so easy to manipulate images, how much manipulation is acceptable?
- With viewers more sophisticated and sceptical than ever before, how can photojournalists preserve their integrity and maintain trust?
