Decades since critics and practitioners predicted the end of photojournalism, images in the news continue to play a crucial, albeit imperfect, role in informing the public. “The absence of photographs may be regarded as absence of proof,” John Taylor (2000) noted in his study on the issues surrounding photojournalism.
Photojournalists played and continue to play an important role in covering the pandemic. With the majority of the population locked up at home during the stringent lockdowns, photojournalists had access to places that other people didn’t have — morgues, hospitals, cemeteries, to name a few. While these representations of events are not always objective and accurate, images produced by photojournalists provide glimpses that help shape the public view.
As to where photojournalism is going entails a longer discussion — from more women, non-binary, and person of color (POC) accessing better support and opportunities, to the growing expectations for photojournalists to shoot video and write text, and the continuously mounting distrust of the general public to news organizations coupled with internet trolls spreading misinformation.
The persisting unethical practices in the industry pose a risk, too, in the eroding credibility of news. Julianne Newton’s observation back in 2000s of the growing trend of photographers being treated as visual reporters has been more evident at present.
Despite continuing changes (and cuts) in newsroom structures and the evolving technology that allows anyone to have access to high-quality image-producing devices, I believe photojournalism will remain essential in storytelling. The challenge lies in how practicing photojournalists and editors continue to produce strong, important, and honest photographs as they uphold ethical standards and fight for space for images in journalism.
Essay for the Diploma in Visual Journalism Program at the Asian Center for Journalism (ACFJ) in Ateneo de Manila University.
