One of the four essays that I need to analyse is Photojournalism and the Tabloid Press, by Karin E. Becker. I have read this essay and made some initial notes and jotting and will write it up again at a later date.
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| my pencil jottings and initial thoughts |
*update* Essay read, analysis written 19/8/13
Photojournalism and
the Tabloid Press by Karin E Becker
Chapter 28 within The Photography Reader, pages 291 – 308 (The
Photography Reader, 2003) is a revised version of a paper
originally presented at a seminar in Yugoslavia in May 1990, we are not advised
as to what or when the revisions were but not sure that matters as the essay
contained therein is very detailed and is being judged on what it currently is,
rather than what it was before, but I thought it interesting to note that it
has been amended from its original form.
As with all academic essays, the writer begins with a
statement of intent, a thesis, several paragraphs outlining the “uncomfortable”
history of photojournalism within the western press and how the use of
photography is skewed more toward the “popular” rather than the “serious”
press; that the “consequences of this position (are) evident…in the pages and
discussion of the tabloid press.” Tabloids are dismissed as “merely popular”. (p291)
As a brief summary: Becker sets out to examine the link
between photography and its relationship with the tabloid press by examining
several distinct areas and stages in her argument- all under subheadings within
her essay- and wishes to prove one way
or another if it is correct to assume that the photography of the tabloid press
is merely entertainment and “popular” and seemingly concludes by saying that
yes, tabloids treat their photographs/photojournalism in a different manner but
in most respects they still report news and provide a vehicle for discussing
said news so are they inferior or less serious? I shall write slightly more in
depth with regards to her conclusion after dealing with the main stages raised within
the essay.
The early picture
press - (p292-293)
This section discusses the launching of illustrated, weekly magazines in the
early 1840’s. To form an aspect of her argument Becker provides many examples
of publications of the time e.g. the Illustrated
London News, L’Illustration, Illustrierte Zeitung and Harper’s Weekly to name a few. She cites other authors and their
publication’s (Hassner 1977:Taft 1938), (Johannesson 1982) (Carnes 1940: 15) to
name a few, which give academic weight to her argument.
According to Becker and other authors, these magazines did on occasion
illustrate their news but technology dictated that these were in the form of
wood engravings carved by craftsmen from drawings provided by “on the spot” artists.
Sometimes, but rarely, these engravings were made from photograph, However,
more often than not photography was dismissed as too “stiff” and the technology
unreliable. This meant that the press established “patterns of visual
reporting” and, as with a lot of early photography, journalistic or otherwise,
the conventions of the art world were placed upon it.
I felt in part that this section provided an interesting
historical background as she mentions that photojournalism can trace a heritage
to a limited number of “prestige periodicals” the reason given being the
seriousness of the topic covered (the Spanish-American War). The lack of use
originally of any form of illustration was due to the problems with technology
and cost. With the introduction of industrialization and advertising these were
no longer an issue, photography was being used more and yet there was no
evidence that it helped sell more copy. However you could also argue that this
was the establishment of a weekly photographically heavy publication rather
than daily tabloid news.
The tabloid =
sensationalism = photography – (p293-295)
This section deals with daily newspapers and their deadlines being prohibitive
to the use of either illustration or photographs. Later on there were
exceptions to the rule; the “yellow press” of the US “where pictures were seen
as key to successful and sensational coverage” Becker seems to hint that it is
this period in time, the 1920’s, where tabloid journalism and associated
photographs of violence and sex scandals made for a “low point for the
press”. I am not sure if the morals and
ethical standards of the era made for the gutter press or if the press photography
encouraged the readership of the scandals? Whichever, there must be a general
agreement that both then and now tabloid newspapers tend to break the rules of
ethical and moral guidelines <coughs News of the World> however with the
Leveson inquiry (LEVESON INQUIRY:Culture, Practice
and Ethics of the Press) it has become more apparent that the
broadsheets are not as innocent as they claim to be, but that breaks away
slightly from the topic of photography, although quite a few reputable news
photographs have been tainted with the ignominy of Photoshop, for example
Reuters photographer Adnan Hajj. (BBC News Channel, 2006)
However returning back to the historical aspect of
photojournalism Becker, via Taft, informs us that the “sensationalism of the
tabloid press was intensified by photographs of events… which are trite
superficial, tawdry, salacious, morbid or silly” (Taft 1938:448) which provides
evidence to support initial ideas that photojournalism in the tabloid press was
populist. She further explores how photography was banned from judicial and
legal proceedings leaving publications no choice other than to fabricate images,
citing (Hassner 1977:282; Kobre 1980:17), or sneak into events such as the
public execution of Ruth Snyder to provide illustration for their text. The supporting
text and headlines were as “sensational” as the images thus linking the two together.
Again using a citation from Taft, Becker informs us he claimed that “prodigious
and free use of photographs…defeated their own object…of disseminating news..”
he paints a picture of the audience glancing at the images, taking what
information they glean from the pictures and disregarding the written
journalism. He goes on to say “These criticisms and abuses the pictorial press
must meet and correct if it to command the respect of intelligent people.”
(Taft 1938: 448-9) Becker uses this citation well to support the growing idea
that the tabloids are not for the intellectual elite and the inclusion of
photographs in a story implies it is dumbed down for the entertainment of the popular
masses.
The daily press ‘supplements’
the news – (p295-296)
Becker further supports the theory within this section by outlining how
publications gradually started to recognise photography as an acceptable medium
in some instances yet were still wary over the tabloids “abuses of press
credibility” making it harder for photographs to be viewed “as a medium for
serious news”. In order to get around this problem they created weekly
supplements to work alongside daily news “while insulating and protecting the
newspapers primary product from being downgraded by the photograph.” Again she
uses citations to strengthen points being made.
The picture magazines
legacy – (p296-297)
Yet more evidence pointing to the growing disparity of photography and certain
types of photojournalism becoming more acceptable, e.g. the photo essay and
documentaries of famous and non-famous people, being welcomed into the art
world and considered “high culture” whilst this continued to exclude the
tabloid press. More academic citations were used and from a variety of authors.
The contemporary
domain of the tabloid – (297-298)
Here, rather than looking at attitudes towards the photography itself, Becker
examines how the photographs are taken and used in the tabloid press. She
concludes that while the front pages are similar to the “elite” in respect of a
main headline and main photograph, the approach of reporting the news itself was
“distinctly different.” The photographs used in the tabloids were awkward,
invariably “garish” and revealing.
Plain pictures of ordinary folk – (p298-299)
Once more Becker looks at the photographs used in tabloids to show how they are
used to inform or illicit emotion rather than just report news. Ordinary people
are presented in recognisable settings yet will be holding a prop or displaying
expressions which help convey the story. Although taken to present informality
care and attention is given to lighting and framing and subjects usually the
photographs provide eye contact between subject and audience. There is a nod
given to the id shots reserved for tragic or criminal events and the candid
shots taken at an event. Whilst not providing a strong argument for or against
the theory with regards to tabloid photojournalism, Becker is providing
background information which implies that the images in the tabloid press are
not of high value or exceptional importance and are taken/presented in a way
that whilst factual, appear to be manipulative.
Celebrities – (p299-300)
Becker examines how celebrities are presented, either “behind the scenes” to
make them appear “just like us” whilst making us feel we are being given a “privileged”
view of their lives, performing or candid. Candid shots fall into two
categories, those being controlled by the star and those which are unguarded
and snapped by the paparazzi. She accepts however, that the paparazzi images
are not as frequent as one might expect. We are informed via a citation (Sekula
1984: 29) that less technical compositions are more common in the tabloids news
coverage because of “the theory of the higher truth of the stolen image”. They
don’t care if the picture is naff; it tells a story and the more naff, the more
believable!
The news event – (p301-302)
Here, Becker defines the different ways news is defined and represented
pictorially within the tabloid press. Candid shots maybe from an unscheduled event
or planned as in a press conference, they tend to show people unmasked and
revealing a certain truth. Technical flaws are overlooked and this seems to
have become “conventions of the tabloid style” in producing authentic images.
More import is placed on the common people that the political leaders causing
the issues affecting them, tabloids traditionally do more crime reportage
therefore use a lot of id shots but these tend to be smaller than that of the
victims. Disaster coverage will focus on the photographer and how the shots are
achieved and with all stories there is an “impossibility of seeing the
photographs independently from …the text” She therefore is once more backing up
a theory that the photojournalism of the tabloid press is brought down to a certain
level by the standard of its writing and presentation and the public perception
that tabloids are down-market, informational fodder rather than a higher class
epistle.
Reframing the picture
in words and layout – (p302-303)
More commentary and citations which confirm that photographs have little
meaning without their settings; where they appear and how they are presented.
The text in the tabloid press tends to be more dramatic, large in relation to
page size, and sensationalist. More often than not the text will be a contrast
to the ordinariness of the image, with the text illustrating the image rather than
the other way round; direct quotes are employed giving voice to the person
portrayed. Once more the photographer is held up as the first person in certain
circumstances and this “contradicts the ideal role of the journalist as one
standing apart from the events” Becker holds that this adds to the
sensationalism of a story, the fact that it could not be told within the
confines of usual reportage. She reminds us that the style of the tabloids is
not the fault of the photographer but the way the editorials are constructed
with odd sizing, montages, re-touching, directional arrows and black bands over
the subject’s faces/eyes. Broadsheets or the elite press tend to stick to the
usual conventions of rectangular proportions and established guidelines we
associate with “photographic truth”.
Conclusions – (p304-305)
Outside of the daily press photojournalism has attained the status of popular
art, tabloid press does not employ these conventions. The tabloid photographers
are not revered as artists rather “impulsive individuals, consumed by events”.
Tabloid photojournalism is a contradiction to the elite and to itself. It
presents factual images in ways that should support the reality and credibility
of the photographs but due to framing and sizing prevent the very thing it set
out to do. Becker recognises the issues of pigeon-holing tabloids as merely
popular. They may be popular and appear anti-elitist but not “merely”, the
photography under discussion does work to report serious news.
My conclusions
This was a difficult essay to read in some respects. There was information
overload at several points and I had to read it several times before I could work
out if Becker was writing subjectively or objectively. In the end I chose objectively.
Nowhere did she write “I think…I believe…my opinion is…” She sets out an idea
that photojournalism in the tabloid press is considered trivial and merely
popular, then provides many examples as to why this could be so, the arguments
are well presented, historic background is provided with examples of
publications and over 30 references are used throughout the essay. These
academic references add weight to any points she is making. Becker contrasts
the use of photographs in other publications and at first I thought this
detracted from her argument, stating that photojournalism was used seriously in
weekly publications, but having re-read these sections I am more inclined to
think they bolster it due to them being weekly not daily publications and the
way that these publications presented the images. Having weighed up the
evidence she reaches a conclusion which in essence admits that it isn’t that
easy to say “yes” or “no”; tabloid photojournalism flies in the face of the
establishment and many journalistic conventions but does provide reliable
accurate news despite the sensational presentation. Due to the amount of
research undertaken for this essay, the acknowledgement that different cultures
have slightly differing approaches to reporting but she was examining a narrow
band within the aspect of “tabloid” press I think Becker argued her case well.
Bibliography
BBC News Channel. (2006, August 19). BBC News
Middle East. Retrieved August Monday, 2013, from BBC News Channel:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5254838.stm
Becker, K. E. (1990). Photojournalism and the Tabloid
Press. In L. Wells (Ed.), The Photography Reader (pp. 291-308). Oxon,
England: Routledge.
LEVESON INQUIRY:Culture, Practice and Ethics of the
Press. (n.d.). Retrieved August 19,
2013, from The Leveson Inquiry: http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/
Various. (2003). The Photography Reader. (L.
Wells, Ed.) Oxon, England: Routledge.
Slightly intrigued as to how the press of today still operates within these
historical views I purchased a copy of The Sun and The Daily Telegraph…and yes
they still seem to follow the same conventions ;o)
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| Tabloid..... |
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| "Elite" broadsheet |
