Picture worth more than 1,000 words

As a previous photographer for Simpson College's newspaper, I find photo journalism a very interesting topic. I opened the Web site for "The New York Times" today with this in mind and found a very moving picture that represents exactly what all photo journalists are trying to achieve.

The picture that I found is centered at the very top of the Web page just above the heading, "Gunshots, Then Silence: Another Baby Gone." Even before reading the story, I completely understood the tragedy that had impacted the neighborhood where the shooting occurred and the slain person's family who now mourn the death of their young daughter. The picture tells the entire story. It shows the sadness and the emptiness that now inhibit all of these people's lives.

So, take some time to look at this overwhelming picture. The photographer has definitely captured the moment with a photograph picturing a large coffin spray surrounded by a messy kitchen. It tells more about the story than any writer could ever describe.

Ethics of Fact v. Opinion

An article published in the July/August issue of the Columbia Journalism Review brought to my attention a real-life example of ethics in journalism. The story, "The Lives of Others," was written about a young journalist's journey to find herself. Instead, she finds a young woman named Tyeisha who manages to escape from Hurricane Katrina only to be killed a few short months later.

The journalist sets off on a journey to help tell Tyeisha's story and instead becomes the subject herself. This points out that journalists do create personal relationships with their subjects and that there is a certain type of bond within that relationship. However, every journalist must understand how to separate oneself from that relationship in order to tell an unbiased story. The journalist should not let themselves become a part of the story, no matter the circumstances. At least this is what journalists are taught fundamentally.

It is up to each individual to critically read stories in order to separate the emotion from the fact. Obviously, it's impossible to completely separate oneself in their writing from absolutely every opinion or bias that they hold. The question is where that thin line is drawn in every article, story, and picture. Where does a journalist cross the line from reporter to advocate?

Messed-Up Media Coverage

Tonight WHO, www.whotv.com, ran numerous clips of Shawn Johnson in anticipation of the United State's competition with China airing at 6 p.m. in the U.S. There was commercial after commercial on that created such an exciting atmosphere in Iowa for our home-grown star. However, this anticipation for the big competition was completely ruined when WHO aired the winner and loser at the end of their newscast... only a short half-hour before the competition aired.

I couldn't believe that WHO had really ruined the outcome of the entire competition. What was the point in watching it now and cheering on the U.S. when we knew they were going to lose to China? I know that it's the job of the media to present its people with the latest news, but isn't this something that should be kept a secret? Or was WHO just itching to be the one to say the news first?

Despite the news, we watched the competition and cheered our country on. But I wonder how many people decided that it was just a waste of their time. Did the ratings fall for the Olympics tonight in Iowa because WHO couldn't keep its media mouth shut? In my opinion, this was just some messed-up media coverage.

What good comes from negativity?

It is inevitable. Every election year, Americans are bogged down by presidential advertisements that could cause anyone major stress.

Every day I turn on the television to find a new commercial telling me just how good one presidential candidate is and just how bad his opponent would be in the White House. (You can find all of these commercials on youtube.com.) My concern is that each candidate's media focuses entirely too much on the negative aspects of its opponent, rather than focusing on the many positive aspects of its own candidate.

Don't get me wrong. There are many positive media images of each presidential candidate available for supporters. However, commercials never seem to work the same way. It's almost heartbreaking to know that the negativity in our media today is even coming out of our future president's mouth. How about someone stepping up for once to stop these presidential advertisements used solely to slam one another's reputation?