Editing Photograph manipulation (section)

=== Use in journalism ===
{{See also|Photojournalism#Ethical, legal, and social considerations}}

A notable incident of controversial photo manipulation occurred over a photograph that was altered to fit the vertical orientation of a 1982 ''[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]'' magazine cover. The altered image made two [[Egyptian pyramids]] appear closer together than they actually were in the original photograph.<ref name=NYT>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/04/magazine/photography-s-new-bag-of-tricks.html?pagewanted=4 |publisher=The New York Times Company |date=November 4, 1984 |author=Fred Ritchin |title=Photography's New Bag Of Tricks |access-date=January 6, 2016}}</ref> The incident triggered a debate about the appropriateness of falsifying an image,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moscaritolo |first=Angela |date=July 5, 2016 |title=National Geographic Tackles Photo Manipulation |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/national-geographic-tackles-photo-manipulation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240712225937/https://www.pcmag.com/news/national-geographic-tackles-photo-manipulation |archive-date=July 12, 2024 |access-date=May 2, 2025 |website=PCMag |language=en}}</ref> and raised questions regarding the magazine's credibility. Shortly after the incident, Tom Kennedy, director of photography for ''[[National Geographic]]'' stated, "We no longer use that technology to manipulate elements in a photo simply to achieve a more compelling graphic effect. We regarded that afterward as a mistake, and we wouldn't repeat that mistake today."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sharma |first=Jitendra |last2=Sharma |first2=Rohita |title=Analysis of Key Photo Manipulation Cases and their Impact on Photography |url=https://iisjoa.org/sites/default/files/iisjoa/2017/PDF/11.%20Jitendra%20Sharma%20&%20Rohita%20Sharma.pdf |url-status=live |journal=IIS University Journal of Arts |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=88-99 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250311204454/https://iisjoa.org/sites/default/files/iisjoa/2017/PDF/11.%20Jitendra%20Sharma%20&%20Rohita%20Sharma.pdf |archive-date=March 11, 2025 |via=IIS University Journal of Arts}}</ref>

There are other incidents of questionable photo manipulation in journalism. One such incident occurred in early 2005 after [[Martha Stewart]] was released from prison. ''[[Newsweek]]'' used a photograph of Stewart's face on the body of a much slimmer woman for their cover, suggesting that Stewart had lost weight while in prison.<ref name= NYT2005>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/03/business/media/martha-stewart-gets-new-body-in-newsweek.html?_r=0 |title=Martha Stewart Gets New Body In Newsweek |work=[[The New York Times]] |author=Jonathan D. Glater |date=March 3, 2005 |access-date=January 6, 2015}}</ref> Speaking about the incident in an interview, Lynn Staley, assistant managing editor at ''Newsweek'' said, "The piece that we commissioned was intended to show Martha as she would be, not necessarily as she is." Staley also explained that ''Newsweek'' disclosed on page 3 that the cover image of Martha Stewart was a composite.<ref name=NYT2005 />

Image manipulation software has affected the level of trust many viewers once had in the aphorism "the camera never lies".<ref name=IntlNYT2004>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/11/technology/the-camera-never-lies-but-the-software-can.html |title=The Camera Never Lies, But The Software Can |publisher=The New York Times Company |author=Katie Hefner |date=March 11, 2004}}</ref> Images may be manipulated for fun, aesthetic reasons, or to improve the appearance of a subject<ref name=Photo>{{cite book |last=Kitchin |first=Rob |title=Code/Space: Software and Everyday Life |year=2011 |publisher=The MIT Press |isbn=978-0-262-04248-2 |chapter=6 |page=120 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZHez2BXgIeQC&pg=PA120}}</ref> but not all image manipulation is innocuous, as evidenced by the [[Kerry Fonda 2004 election photo controversy]]. The image in question was a fraudulent composite image of [[John Kerry]] taken on June 13, 1971, and [[Jane Fonda]] taken in August 1972 sharing the same platform at a 1971 antiwar rally, the latter of which carried a fake [[Associated Press]] credit with the intent to change the public's perspective of reality.<ref name="IntlNYT2004" />

There is a growing body of writings devoted to the ethical use of digital editing in [[photojournalism]]. In the [[United States]], for example, the [[National Press Photographers Association]] (NPPA) established a Code of Ethics which promotes the accuracy of published images, advising that photographers "do not manipulate images [...] that can mislead viewers or misrepresent subjects."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nppa.org/code_of_ethics |title=NPPA Code of Ethics |date=January 28, 2017 |publisher=[[National Press Photographers Association]]}}</ref> Infringements of the Code are taken very seriously, especially regarding digital alteration of published photographs, as evidenced by a case in which [[Pulitzer Prize]]-nominated photographer [[Allan Detrich]] resigned his post following the revelation that a number of his photographs had been manipulated.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003571795 |title=Blade Editor: Detrich Submitted 79 Altered Photos This Year |work=[[Photo District News]] |date=April 15, 2007 |first=Daryl |last=Lang}}</ref>

In 2010, a Ukrainian photographer{{Snd}}Stepan Rudik, winner of the 3rd prize story in Sports Features{{Snd}}was disqualified due to violation of the rules of the [[World Press Photo of the Year|World Press Photo]] contest. "After requesting [[Raw image format|RAW-files]] of the series from him, it became clear that an element had been removed from one of the original photographs."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Announcement of disqualification |url=http://www.worldpressphoto.org/news/2010-03-03/announcement-disqualification |website=World Press Photo |access-date=2016-01-22 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> As of 2015, up to 20%<ref>{{Cite web |title=World Press Photo Organizer: 20% of Finalists Disqualified |url=https://time.com/3706626/world-press-photo-processing-manipulation-disqualified/ |website=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=February 12, 2015 |access-date=2016-01-22}}</ref> of World Press Photo entries that made it to the penultimate round of the contest were disqualified after they were found to have been manipulated or post-processed with rules violations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What counts as manipulation? |url=http://www.worldpressphoto.org/activities/photo-contest/verification-process/what-counts-as-manipulation |website=World Press Photo |access-date=2016-01-22 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>