We’ve talked from time to time about the dangers of photoshopping, i.e. adding “content” to a photograph that wasn’t there in the first place. Here’s the latest, and it involves Jocelyn Kirsch, the young woman from Winston-Salem who is in trouble with the authorities in Philadelphia for various ID theft and related charges.
There are all sorts of rules about creating photoillustrations, essentially the merging of a photograph and artistry (beyond the photograph itself). One is that it ought to be labeled as such. In this case, the newspaper did, but I’m told it was in teeny-tiny type. But I think more importantly, when a photoshop result looks like reality, as opposed to fantasy or the like, it is something to be avoided on serious subjects, such as crime and punishment.
Yes, this Bonnie & Clyde tale of young lovers in Philly is good stuff, but that’s not an excuse for lowering the standards.
Your host is Ken Otterbourg, the managing editor at the Winston-Salem Journal. It's a forum to discuss the media, from
A year or so ago, the Journal printed a relish cover that was sensational. It showed the buildings of downtown W-S holding up a gigantic basketball, the letters for “relish” on the basketball as if printed there. THAT was brilliant (and yes, I blogged it at the time). But at no point was there any doubt that it was digitally created, which I agree with you is a line best not too closely approached by any organization that wants to retain credibility.
I think there is absolutely a place for digital art in news, so long as it is clearly digital art.
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