Toledo Blade investigation turns up 78 digitally altered news photographs.

Earlier this month "Toledo Blade" photographer Allen Detrich resigned after admitting he had digitally

altered a new s photograph of the Blufton University baseball team praying at their first practice since the

bus crash in Atlanta that killed some of their team members.

 

Nowit turns out that Dietrich has been doing this for awhile now. <P><I>

 

"The changes Mr. Detrich made included erasing people, tree limbs, utility poles, electrical wires, electrical

outlets, and other background elements from photographs. In other cases, he added elements such as

tree branches and shrubbery," Blade editor Ron Royhab explained. "Mr. Detrich also submitted two sports

photographs in which items were inserted. In one he added a hockey puck and in the other he added a

basketball, each hanging in mid-air. Neither was published."<P>

 

On its website, The Blade posted three examples showing how Detrich altered photos, including the

original version of the Bluffton image. Those can be found

<A HREF = http://tinyurl.com/yur3hu>here.</a><P>

"Readers have asked us why this was such a big deal. What's wrong with changing the content of a

photograph that is published in a newspaper? The answer is simple: It is dishonest," Royhab wrote.

"Journalism, whether by using words or pictures, must be an accurate representation of the truth."</I>

<P>

"Journalism, whether by using words or pictures, must be an accurate representation of the truth."

 

Wow, words that accurately represent the truth in jounalism. I've never seen such a thing.

 

I agree that news photos should be unaltered. It would be nice if the copy that goes along with it could be so pure.

 

Doug

I always find it amusing when altered journalism photos are considered lies which implies unaltered ones are considered the truth. The truth becomes so subjective when looking at recorded light. An altered photo in many cases can more accurately represent the truth than an altered one.

 

I've never heard about journalistic photographers getting in trouble for taking unaltered photos of events in a biased manner. In my opinion thats an even bigger lie. And how is it an unaltered image isn't an altered version of reality? A photo is not reality. Reality is reality! (:

 

But I digress...

Which begs the question : Isn't "truth " an intellectual construct? Some people think that the

creation of the world as depicted in a sacred text is truth, but physical reality proves that

"truth" to be a fiction.

 

Of course a photograph is an opinion.

I wonder what FOX New's definition of journalism is? What's next, expecting professional sports players to be show good sportsmanship? What if politicians were expected to be honest?

and now we have become philosopher's.

truth is everything you believe.

Carlos,

 

I am sorry but truth is not what ever you believe. Truth is true regardless of your opinion or belief. Lets say that that you believe in unicorns. Does that make them real? Let's say that you believe that you can fly. Try jumping from a building, it would prove that "truth" to be wrong. There is an objective reality. It is not as subjective as some would make it out to be. Just a thought from one forum philosopher to another.

I think some people are confusing truth with objectivity.