North Korea Restores Order to Kim Funeral with Photoshop (ABC News)

                                                                        (Source: farm8.staticflickr.com, 2011)

A photo of the funeral procession for Kim Jong-II released by the North Korea’s state news agency to European Pressphoto Agency in Germany differs from a photo taken by Japan agency Kyodo News. Although both photos were taken almost the same time, the Japanese picture captured some images behind the line of mourners on the left side have been digitally removed in the Korean’s photo. The alterations to the photo were discovered by the New York Times and relayed to Germany-based European Pressphoto Agency (EPA). EPA subsequently, issued an order to stop the use to its client, as it violates EPA’s code of ethics.

In my opinion, the doctored to perfected manner photo seems like a respectable thing to do for the Koreans for their late leader last journey but on the other hand, it is not ethical for photojournalism. As according to The Evangelical Press Association, EPA‘s code of ethics; Principle 2: Pursuit of truth on photography. It states; charts, graphs, illustrations, and photographs should not distort information or mislead readers. Alterations that change the substance or the meaning of journalistic photographs should be avoided.

Photojournalism, like journalism, is an honorable profession and they have their moral principles and ethical codes of conduct to maintain.  The doctored photo is seen as manipulations by cropping.  Manipulating images is; "like limited nuclear war. There ain't any" (Ritchin, 1984). In addition, Jack Com, director of photography for the Chicago Tribune said manipulations are "ethically, morally and journalistically horrible" (Reaves 1987).

In conclusion, as (Chapnick, 1982) eloquently summed up, the dangers to journalism with such manipulations costs credibility and responsibility which by not maintaining that credibility will diminish journalistic impact and self-respect, and the importance of photography as communication. The threat to credibility is irreversible if the public starts to mistrust the integrity of the news photograph. 

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Reference:

• Evangelical Press Association 2012, ‘EPA codes of Ethics’, Evangelical Press Association, viewed on 9^th June 2012, http://www.epassoc.org/About-EPA/ethics.html.
• Lester, P 1991, Photo Journalism An Ethical Approach, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, New Jersey.
• Mooney, M 2011, North Korea Restores Order to Kim Funeral With Photoshop, ABC news, viewed 10th June 2012, http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/12/north-korea-restores-order-to-kim-funeral-with-photoshop/.