Journalism is More Than Just Writing

By Mariam Traore, August 28th, 2019

With many news sources and just a few that are dedicated to environmental news, there are many aspects that shape the way we gather information from an article. Pictures of events to videos of reporters are all examples of tools to use when understanding a story.

Specifically, when it comes to pictures that accompany news articles, the picture gives you an idea of the topic before even reading about it. As said by Bob Wyss, many skills are needed now, “visual journalism including still photography and video, audio recording and the ability to use social media both for reporting and dissemination of information” (Wyss 2019, 196). In order for a story to be understood by the audience, the writing is needed, but the video that has further explanation or summary helps as well. The pictures and titles of the articles are the first things that jump out at the reader and sway them to read or not to read it.

A few of the environmental news sources I’ve either heard of or have read articles from them before. I often see The Guardian, National Geography and New York Times’ articles on environmental issues. As I chose to read an article on The Guardian’s website, an article with the picture of a political man giving strong orders caught my eyes. As the title read, “Wayne Swan warns climate change will reshape politics as much as 9/11” (Murphy 2019). The picture of the man with a red face pointing his hand in an assertive way confirms that the topic is serious and causes anger. The body of the article goes on to explain that the attention and huge changes that were made due to 9/11 are the same tactics that might have to be implemented for climate change. For those who are not listening, Labor’s Federal President, Wayne Swan is being insistent in reaching out to that audience of politicians; the picture reinforces that ideology.

In an article from the New York Times, Brazil’s Rainforest Fires Prompt Alarm and Anger in Europe, a video of the President of Brazil expressing who is to blame adds background information. The article goes into details about how other leaders want to discuss a solution for the Amazon Rainforest burning but not including Brazil itself (Perez and Stevis 2019). It appears as though, outsiders are more concerned about Brazil than Brazil’s President himself. The video of the Brazilian President giving a speech about him pointing fingers to non-NGOs as the cause of the fires fills in questions that the audience may have. With the other pictures that show concerned President Macron of France and the rainforest burning with smoke above it all, creates a feeling of worry and makes you focus on the solution for that concern.

Although images and videos help improve the story of an article, they can sometimes be misleading or complicate the context of the story for certain audiences. For example, an article from The Guardian titled, Angry Schwarzenegger condemns Trump for wrecking clean-air standards is accompanied by a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger looking at his phone, not with an angry face. The man beside him does appear to be yelling but it’s not clear if he is yelling at Schwarzeneggeror supposed to be channeling his anger. The article goes on to discuss how angry Arnold Schwarzenegger is about Trump’s decision and how it reverses all the work done by his predecessor in California, Ronald Reagan (Helmore 2019). The picture is not showing a visually angry Schwarzenegger, therefore breaking a connection between the title and the rest of the article. Unlike the other The Guardian article, Wayne Swan warns climate change will reshape politics as much as 9/11, you do not see the emotion of anger on Schwarzenegger’s face in the image.

The use of more than the words in any article brings the story to a somewhat round circle. Perhaps some answers that weren’t found in the article itself, might be found in the video below or the picture above. Embedded links to other resources such as graphs and charts are also necessary media needed to tell a story and affect the way you understand and experience the article. 

Sources

Helmore, E. 2019. Angry Schwarzenegger condemns Trump for wrecking clean-air standards. The Guardian.

Murphy, K. 2019. Wayne Swan warns climate change will reshape politics as much as 9/11. The Guardian.

Perez-Pena, R. and Stevis-Gridneff, M. 2019. Brazil’s Rainforest Fires Prompt Alarm and Anger in Europe. New York Times.

Wyss, B. Covering the environment: How journalists work the green beat. New York: Routledge, 2008. Print.