Free press is supposed to be based on facts. Journalists have gotten into serious trouble for fabricating "facts".
Helene raises some very good points. When it comes to journalism and the news, many people do not believe what they hear or read. However, nearly everyone believes what they
see.
There is bias in the media. Whether you buy into that or not, it's a fact. Many news outlets are owned by large mega corporations who push an agenda in the form of written and visual news. They own TV stations, networks, radio, billboard companies, magazines, and even publishing houses that specialize in children's books and school textbooks. It's well documented that journalism-type jobs attract the liberal thinker. The AP is not exempt from any of this.
I think it is vitally important that photojournalism retain its integrity at all costs...which is increasingly difficult in the digital age. Consider the hundreds of military photographers who are laying their lives on the line documenting conflicts, or those who work for National Geographic who provide those incredible Pulitzer Prize winning photos from 3rd world countries. What would happen if those photos lost their value due to integrity?
Read this from the
AP Statement of News Values and Principals:
AP pictures must always tell the truth. We do not alter or digitally manipulate the content of a photograph in any way.
The content of a photograph must not be altered in Photoshop or by any other means. No element should be digitally added to or subtracted from any photograph. The faces or identities of individuals must not be obscured by Photoshop or any other editing tool. Only retouching or the use of the cloning tool to eliminate dust on camera sensors and scratches on scanned negatives or scanned prints are acceptable.
Minor adjustments in Photoshop are acceptable. These include cropping, dodging and burning, conversion into grayscale, and normal toning and color adjustments that should be limited to those minimally necessary for clear and accurate reproduction (analogous to the burning and dodging previously used in darkroom processing of images) and that restore the authentic nature of the photograph. Changes in density, contrast, color and saturation levels that substantially alter the original scene are not acceptable. Backgrounds should not be digitally blurred or eliminated by burning down or by aggressive toning. The removal of “red eye” from photographs is not permissible.
AP reporters are also bound by this statement, though obviously not held to its standards. I, for one, am glad that the photographers are.