Truth or Fiction
Photography can lie we see this constantly in online media and newspapers whether that’d be an image that has been cropped a certain way or an object that has been removed from the image completely giving the photograph a completely new meaning. As most individuals now days have access to editing software photographs have somewhat become unreliable. However, most people do still see a photo record as something reliable. When a photo is released in a newspaper or news channel people take it for granted that the photo has not been tampered with or edited in anyway. Yet when we look through the past news photos often been edited to convey a certain way, showing bias towards one point of view or dramatizing a certain event. Most of the time these little subtle changes go unnoticed however there are many cases the audience have picked up on the changes.
Photos can change the way people view certain situations and literally change the worlds decisions. A good example of this is the photo below. The photo is of the a Vietnam soldier mercilessly executing what looks like an innocent civilian in the streets. In the this photo the man with gun is clearly portrayed as the bad guy in this situation. This photo was recorded from the violence of the Vietnam war in 1968. This photo was taken back to america for millions of people to witness. This caused peoples attitudes towards the war to change as this photo captured the graphic, raw, brutal and violent side of war. The name of the man with the gun is called General Nguyen Ngoc Loan. Nguyen Ngoc Loan was denied medical attention at an Australian hospital after being shot in the leg. He was then sent to America where there was a campaign to have him deported all due to this photo below. People didn’t want a stone cold killer in their country. For the rest of his life he was hated by anyone who recognized him. The photographer himself said
“Two people died in that photograph: the recipient of the bullet and General Nguyen Ngoc Loan. The general killed the Viet Cong; I killed the general with my camera.”
It was later discovered that the man getting shot in the photo wasn’t as innocent as people thought. The man on the right was a Vietcong officer Nguyen Van Lem who was captured at the site of a mass grave that included the bodies of at least seven police family members. This man was a killer. Yet because people only saw photographic evidence of him being killed they saw the General as the bad guy. This is a clear example of how photography can misdirect people to believe something that never happened. A photograph with no words or explanation can be as dangerous as a gun. This is the point the photographer has now released after this photo was so misunderstood. Photographer said he had a lot of sympathy for the shooter and wished he had never published the picture. The article below explains how the officer had done the correct thing yet he was persecuted for the rest of his life.
Saigon execution: Murder of a Vietcong by Saigon Police Chief, 1968
This is a clear example of how photography can actually lie without there being any sort of editing. This was all due to the fact people were not exposed to the story behind the photo. However, the photo below clearly shows how editing can take place not to change the story necessarily but instead make it clear. The photo of an anti-war demonstration at Kent State University, Ohio, May 4, 1970. Four students were killed when Ohio National Guard troops fired at 600 anti-war demonstrators. As you can see the first photo hasn’t been edited and some would say that the more reliable, less bias version of the photo however, it looks like the pole is coming out of the women’s head so the photographer removed this. Personally I think this was ok as it is not change the story the photo is trying to tell it is only making it clear for the view what has happened.
To record and share an event has become so easy now day as almost every person has access to a camera and some form social media. This given everyone the opportunity to share their stories and experiences they have had around the world that main media such as the news may have not cover if it wasn’t for the amateurs using their device to record this. We see this a lot with terror attacks as often people use their camera to record the aftermath and even when its happening. This can be used as evidence and to give awareness of the brutality that may have taken place. Due to the internet and these recording devices information has never been so easy to access.