AN ASSESSMENT OF PHOTOGRAPHS AND CARTOONS AS COMMUNICATION INSTRUMENTS A STUDY OF THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER
Photography in journalism informs, educates, and enlightens readers on current issues and looks back on the past. Newspaper photos add credibility to articles. Because they depict reality, they also provide proof of the veracity of the messages and proof of the events that took place. With its aesthetic value, photography can capture the reader’s attention and serve as a tool to break through the monotony of news content.This is how photography enriches and beautifies newspaper pages (Gervais, 2005). . Beyond the positive construction of creating images in front of a camera, the ethic of photojournalism almost flatly rejects image manipulation in programs such as Adobe Photoshop. Although this issue is controversial, standard elements of photo post-processing, such as smoothing wrinkles on a person’s face, enhancing the color of a place, or changing the contrast, are all part of photojournalism. In recent years, there have been numerous major cases of photojournalists being fired from major publications for minor changes in photo editing. An example of this is recoloring a photo, where you can change the color of the sky. This change in sky color may indicate or reduce the occurrence of pollution, may alter the interpretation of seasons, and may even alter the subject’s perspective, Bose, (2002). All these changes contradict the structure of the photojournalism project and violate it on a serious level. Photo editing is allowed in certain circumstances, but should be kept to a minimum when adhering to the strict ethical standards associated with photojournalism.
Newspaper pictures say more than a thousand words. No formal training is required to understand images. Therefore, photography can break down literacy barriers and effectively communicate your message. It is a universal language.
Cartoons are non-verbal graphic communication channels that express the opinions, views and insights of media organizations. They serve the purpose of expressing witty opinions, often referring to topical, burning, topical issues. They are primarily used by the print media to educate, inform and entertain the public (Emi, 2008).
The need for investigative journalism also emphasizes the role of newspaper watchdogs. Humans have two sides of her:
The divine and animal aspects of man are for doing good deeds, whereas the animal side of man is the evil side that can be seen in the various evil deeds and atrocities that humans do. It also illustrates the human urge to dominate, the basic instinct, the acquisition of wealth, and the urge to satisfy their evil and erotic desires.Humans are expected to be rational. But in most cases, animal tendencies tend to take precedence, so that rationality does not always guarantee good behavior. It exists to prevent human society from becoming an animal kingdom and full of evil.
We also need to compare the excesses of the powerful and privileged with those of the less privileged, in order to hold the rulers accountable.
1.2 Problem Description
This study examines the impact and importance of crime illustrations in reinforcing the role of newspaper cartoons as watchdogs in society.
It seeks to establish the impact of comic book illustrations on readers and the extent to which comics have served as sentinels of society.