On 2009-09-26 10:48 , Tim Bray wrote:
Is it OK to crop a picture to make an editorial point? The answer's not obvious. See http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/09/the-ethics-of-photocropping.html
i don't see an ethical problem at all; i respect reporting better when bias is admitted, rather than hidden; there's no such thing as a reporter (or photojournalist) without bias
the crop itself is a very poor target for the photographer's protest; it almost seems the photographer had a biased intent himself, trying to humanize Cheney; it's not an appealing photo either way
the real issue is editorializing by ironic juxtaposition of words with images
i don't see any attempt to mislead, particularly since there is a caption at the bottom that brings it back to earth; i just get a vague insinuation; readers will react, but not take away false information; it gives me a sense that the reporter/editor is troubled by Cheney's character in a way that makes me more watchful for bias in the article; any photo of Cheney juxtaposed with this specific caption would be full of irony ...
i bet different people take different things from it, and in that sense its quite artful; for me, the meat itself is a bit of a prop -- Cheney's affect is more telling: he's preoccupied, absorbed in the necessity of his actions, disconnected from the humanity around him; his eyes aren't visible; he seems awkward in a casual setting
suppose it were Adolph Hitler and the photo hadn't been cropped nor juxtaposed with a damning quote, would we see a man at a family gathering and nothing more?
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