A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: The Future of Photojournalism

By Brandon Ryan

A common result of the ever changing field of journalism is a change in not only the writing itself, but the process and the structure of that very writing. Can an image be a lead? Can an audio clip? The question of how far the evolution of journalism will go in the mediascape is an unpredictable one. Increasingly new and innovative methods of distributing information create new windows for less traditional strategies of reporting. 

Kiki Wallick, an environmental studies major researching this shift to a multimedia platform in her piece “Multimedia reports: Indicators of Journalism in the Digital Age”, outlines the various ways environmental news has been revolutionized by technology: “…these technologies and practices include: graphic design, data mapping, interactive graphics, 360-degree cameras, 3-D cameras, software robots, and a plethora of different publishing methods”

With such a swift expansion of tools available to journalists, traditional principles can become somewhat lacking. Bob Wyss, an experienced journalist, outlines the experience of Scott Wallace, a National Geographic writer, as he attempts to match the breathtaking nature of his experience with reindeer herds in his writing. Not only did Wallace want to recreate the excitement for the reader, but according to Wyss, “the other objective that began with the lead was an attempt to capture color.”

Is there a better way to capture color than an image? As you scroll on National Geographic’s web-page, you see countless moving image garnering their covers and inside pages. Images have a power to them, beyond words. In a piece dedicated to the power of photography, National Geographic attests “the very best of their images remind us that a photograph has the power to do infinitely more than  a document.”

This isn’t to say that leads or nutgrafs are completely useless, but it shows how along with these technologies, journalistic methods also need to evolve. Wallick outlines a New York Times piece that uses augmented reality to outline the moon landing. This interactive piece does far more to help the reader visualize a timeline than a traditional article ever could, and gets at the majority of the information needed. 

“New technology, practices, and tools are transforming journalism for the better. Stories, whether they be breaking news or long-term projects, are being told in a variety of new, innovative ways that refreshingly engage with readers” Wallick States.

Photojournalism has the potential to continuously create an emotional story that sticks in peoples minds. Some of the most widely known images have been captured by photojournalists covering a story. In a field where memorability is vital, imagery has the potential to fill a gap in coverage.

Wallick asserts the importance of collaboration, a concept that can be extended to shifts in strategy. Present day journalists must face the reality that the role of imagery is changing rapidly, and they must collaborate with graphic artists and photographers to create a memorable piece that fulfills its purpose of both educating and lasting.

Sources:

Draper, Robert. “The Power of Photography.” National Geographic, 18 Sept. 2017, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2013/10/power-of-photography/.

Draper, Robert. “The Power of Photography.” National Geographic, 18 Sept. 2017, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2013/10/power-of-photography/.

Wallick, K. “Multimedia Reports: Indicators of Journalism in the Digital Age.”