Dear students,

I will like to introduce you to a website for journalists, which is Poynter.org. This is a website that was first introduced to me when I am still a student taking Mass Communication studies. I find it to be a very good resource for journalists and for those of you who wish to join the media sector.

Below are some interesting sections of the website that you might find interesting:

• Design / Graphics:  For those of you who are into the visual arts as well as page layout and design, you might like to explore this section to gain more insights into the intrinsic workings of the visual artists.  Some interesting links include this link where photographers bring art to life. This  link  provides you with some insights into what makes good newspaper layout and design.  
• Photojournalism:  As the title implies, this section takes a look at various aspects of photojournalism.  Some interesting links will be this where a photographer Mona Reeder provides her take on photojournalism. More noteworthy is her perspectives on the qualities of being a news photographer and her advice to all aspiring news photographers. Another interesting link provides a visual treat for enthusiasts of photography.
• Writing/Editing: For this section, this interesting link enables readers to see life through the eyes of a journalist through a comprehensive interview. This link  highlights the outsourcing of editors to India, China and the Philippines and questions the standard in news editing.

There are many useful and interesting resources for journalists and media professionals, so do have a look at the website and hopefully, learn something from it.  

Dear class, 

During one of our class discussions, some of you have brought up the concept of “Show, do not tell” when it comes to the reports by the media. I figure most of us will interpret this as a neutral, factual reporting of the media and not making any aspects of the report subjective.

Along the same vein, the concept of “Show, do not tell” can also be applied in the field of photography. Photographs often have a strong presence even in the absence of captions. They have the ability to evoke emotions while allowing every one of us to interpret the pictures independently of one another. This might be a bit constraining when it comes to the field of photojournalism (since the pictures are taken primarily to describe an event or a happening), but there’s still space left open for interpretation in this aspect as well. Once again – as mentioned in my previous post – composition is important since this is the most crucial factor when it comes to enabling the viewers to interpret the message of the photograph.

In a world where we are constantly being bombarded by noise, photography grants us that silence that enables us to have peace of mind. However, some advertisers are beginning to use photography as a form of visual attraction to engage our attention (when often we do not wish to). What begins as a form of art has now been turned into a device for consumerism, which is a very regretful development.

Nevertheless, it’s undeniable that the concept of “Show, do not tell” applies well when it comes to photography. If not, advertisers will not maximise the usage of such concept in recent years. Indeed, they are beginning to realise that a picture indeed speaks a thousand words.      

Photographs are most impactful when left alone. It is unbelievable how much we like to add information to photographs, Editors place captions below them, photojournalists adds an article alongside them and image editors edit them often to enhance the photo’s visual appeal.  It’s understandable that all of this is done to align the photographs to the reports that the media wish to make. However, at the same time, the impact of the photo is reduced since adding information in such ways reduces the number of possibilities of interpretations open to the viewers.

Hence, “Show, do not tell” should be the motto of every photographer.

Such is the essence of photography.