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Because photographs can have an impact that words alone do not,
photojournalism — the photographic documentation of a news
event — plays an essential role in news reporting. Photos
have the power to make people think, feel and take action. They
may horrify, reassure, anger or take the breath away. While words
can describe the aftermath of a disaster — a tornado, a
plane crash, a school shooting — a photo visually communicates
the pain etched in victims' faces, the mangled metal and strewn
debris, the wounded bodies being rolled away on stretchers by
paramedics. Of course, good writing can evoke strong emotions
as well, but certain photos have an impact that is immediate and
startling.
Rothstein writes that “the photographic image speaks directly
to the mind and transcends the barriers of language and nationality”
(1974, p. 15). In his book, Photojournalism, he defines photojournalists
as “observers of people and events who report what is happening
in photographs; interpreters of facts and occurrences who write
with a camera; skilled communicators whose images are transmitted
visually via the printed page” (p. 15). (See Part 2 of this
online curriculum for a wide array of photos that have been recognized
for their visual power.)
Photoeditor Bryan Grisby, in News Photographer, wrote
about the philosophy of veteran writer-photographer Phil Douglis,
who Grisby says believed that photojournalism had the potential
to go beyond “routine documentation or illustration of day-to-day
affairs.” Grisby quoted from an essay Douglis wrote in the
mid-1970s, which said in part: “[W]hen … photographs
contain content that confronts the viewer's intellect as well
as his emotions, the reader can actually be provoked into an internal
intellectual dialogue. The photo can stimulate his thinking instead
of simply showing him what something looks like, or grabbing his
attention. It can go far beyond the stated and often limited reason
for appearing in the paper in the first place” (1996, p.
10).
Linking the visual image with emotions and cognition is clearly
what many photographs accomplish. “In the blink of a shutter,”
writes Seattle Times staff writer Melanie McFarland,
“photographic images can dig out emotions even the most
finely honed prose can't capture.” Reviewing a television
documentary called, “Moment of Impact: Stories of the Pulitzer
Prize Photographs,” McFarland calls the show “reality
television with real value.” In it, photojournalists talk
about the photos that won them fame.
The documentary reveals that some photographers who shoot traumatic
images find it painful to revisit the place where the photos were
taken. Even years later, they find it difficult to talk about
the images they captured on film.
Others compartmentalize their emotions. “In order for
(Pulitzer-Prize winning photographer Stanley J.) Forman to shoot
his winning photographs of a woman and child plummeting from a
collapsed apartment fire escape,” McFarland writes, “he
had to put aside his shock. Artistically the photo is a master
work. Emotionally, it's terrifying to see a woman in the last
moment of her life. (The child survived.)”
So photographs not only have an impact on readers and audiences,
but on the photographers themselves.
The Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma has not only focused
on the effects of trauma on people who may be the subjects of
news stories, but it has also looked at the effects that covering
such stories can have on journalists. Photojournalists are part
of the team of first responders whenever a tragedy occurs. They
are there to document the news event in pictures. And their work
can have a strong and lasting impact on the public consciousness.
This is the second module of the Dart Center’s online
curriculum. Module 1 helps to explain what traumatic stress is
and why it is important for journalists to know about its effects.
This module looks more closely at the work of photojournalists
and focuses more on those who work in print. Video journalists
for television share many of the same issues discussed here, but
their historical context and other aspects of their work are different
and should be dealt with in a separate piece. The goal of this
module — Photography & Trauma — is to examine
the important work of photojournalists in the context of traumatic
stress. It begins in part 1 with a historical overview of journalism
and photography, and then continues with some examples of powerful
photos in part 2, a discussion of potential trauma effects on
photojournalists (part 3) and on their audiences (part 4), some
tips for photojournalists (part 5), and a list of references for
further study (part 6).
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