- 2 articles about photography and journalism

- Tijme Wessels

ARTICLE: More articles about citizen

photojournalism
Published: 2 May 2015
By: JRN
Tags: citizen journalism, photojournalism

A special issue of the journal Digital Journalism has been published as online-first issue. The issue,
titled Photojournalism and Citizen Journalism: Co-operation, Collaboration and Connectivity has been
divided into two sections: the other part will be published in the journal Journalism Practise. X of articles
published in this part of the issue are about Europe or by European scholars. Both issues delve into the
less examined overlapping areas of citizens and amateurs and photojournalism.
Valérie Gorin of University of Geneva examines citizen photojournalism in Time magazine’s
photoblog Lightbox. In the paper, Gorin explores the ways that citizen imagery is challenging the
photojournalistic culture. Lightbox is managed by professional photographers but features sometimes
amateur photography. Gorin analyzes how the editors select very limited amount of citizen photography
and avoid mentioning the amateur nature of images. The paper also shows how digital platforms often
emphasize the photographer’s personal initiatives over traditional gatekeeping process.
Eddy Borges-Rey of University of Stirling looks at the popular photo-sharing service Instagram through the
loop of Baudrillard’s hyperreality theory. He examines the photo feeds of six citizen photojournalists and
six professinal photojournalists. Borges-Rey identifies the various simulations and discourses used in these
photo feeds. He claims that the Instagram community inadvertently creates a hyperreal depiction of the
world. Instagram photojournalists use specific aestetic conventions and performative discourses that
correspond to their roles as either amateurs or professionals.
In their article, Aurélie Auberta of University of Paris 8 & Jérémie Nicey of University of Sorbonne
Nouvelle Paris 3 focus in a news photo agency Citizenside. Auberta and Nicey studied the viewpoints of
contributors to explore the concept of a “citizen photojournalist”. They conclude that the “amateur”
photojournalists are, in fact, driven by semiprofessional logics.
Jelle Mast and Samuel Hanegreefsb of Vrije Universiteit Brussel use the Syrian war and its media blackout
to study issues of transparency and graphicness. They look at how mainstream news media incorporate
citizen-generated images, how sources are referenced and how topics and explicitness of pictures vary
between professionals and citizen journalists.
Stuart Allan of Cardiff University and Chris Peters of University of Groningen contribute to the debate of
professional/amateur photographers in journalism. They studied specifically millennial (born 1980-1999)
users in a qualitative study, and found out that photojournalism’s discursive authority can be open to
challenge. The millennials raised questions over realness, authenticity and truthiness, all of which
complicated – and even destabilisized – the professional/amateur binary.
Journalists try to either distance themselves or to find validation of amateur images, write Mervi
Pantti and Stefanie Sirén of University of Helsinki. Pantti and Sirén explored the attitudes of Finnish
journalists towards the use of non-professional images.
The rise of new digital technologies and citizen photography have challenged and destabilized traditional
photojournalism, argues Marco Solaroli of University of Bologna in his paper. Solaroli focuses on the
practise of digital post-producation through which he discusses wider technological, professional and
cultural shifts in news photography over the last decade. He discusses the shifting professional ideal of
visual news objectivity and the shifting of symbolic boundaries between professionals/non-professionals.

https://journalismresearchnews.org/citizenphotojournalism2/

What Is Photojournalism and Why Is It Important?

The Power of Enhancing Your Story With Imagery

SHARE THIS CONTENT

What Is Photojournalism? Photojournalism is the process of using photographs to tell a story. Whereas

conventional journalists will share their information by employing pen and paper. photojournalists use a

camera as their medium. A photojournalist will use images to tell the entire story, from start to finish, and if

executed properly a reader may not even need words to fully understand the message being presented.

A Brief History of Photojournalism

Photos have been used to accompany news articles since the start of the American Civil War, though they were

then seen more as enhancements than as the main focus of a piece.

Photojournalism entered a Golden Age beginning in the 1920s, with the arrival of smaller cameras like the 35

mm Leica, which was invented in Germany in 1925. These cameras were seen as revolutionary by

photographers everywhere, as much less equipment was required for them to set up and take their pictures.

What Is the Purpose of Photojournalism?

Simply speaking, a photojournalist’s role is to relate a story through photography. The goal is not only to take

pictures, but to hold the images up to the highest journalistic standards in an effort to convey the truth. Not

every one of a photojournalist’s images will pass the test, just as every traditional journalist has to pitch

multiple stories before one is accepted.

All in all, photojournalists are simply trying to expose the average person to new and different stories in an

arresting and digestible way.

What Is Photojournalism Used For?

Photojournalism is a form of visual storytelling and reporting. There is no one right way to tell a story

through images: a handful of pictures can complement a text, but a single dramatic image can also

furnish stand-alone commentary on an individual, world events or culture. No matter how the story is

told, photojournalists seek to enlighten audiences by capturing a crystallizing image.

The Context of the Photograph Matters

 Photojournalism is journalism, and it seeks to convey the truth. Its goal is to depict objective reality, and

photojournalists must adhere to guidelines similar to those informing the work of their counterparts

who write articles. Photographs are not merely images, but a lens into a specific situation or event. As

such, they should be centered not just on creating a beautiful image, but also on illuminating the

circumstances surrounding the image.

Photographs Must Be Informative

Photojournalists tell a story that would be difficult to capture with words alone. The images they

present can be vehicles for educating the public. A photo should be able to convey an entire story, but

without words.

Photographs Should Tell a Timely Story

Readers want to see news when it happens, as it happens, and every image needs to be timely. In short,

photojournalism needs to feature something or someone that the world is currently talking about. The

objective is to tell the story at hand using new images rather than text, and each should work to

illuminate the meaning and message of the story.

The Importance and Role of Photojournalism

Photojournalism plays an important role in today's news cycle. They can either be stand-alone images offering

insight into a specific story or accompany an article to provide more context. Below are some of the reasons

photojournalism is important.

https://nytlicensing.com/latest/marketing/what-is-photojournalism/