AN ASSESSMENT OF PHOTOGRAPHS AND CARTOONS AS COMMUNICATION INSTRUMENTS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Picture reporting takes the most knowledge and expertise of any kind of journalism. According to (Gelnshain, 2002), the industrial revolution significantly influenced the growth of press photography. The first book containing lithographic illustrations (pictures) debuted in 1840. The photos were chosen based on the testing subjects’ criteria, which stabilizes presentation. Two works, London Labour and the London Poor, entered British critical study after this groundbreaking in fact. According to Peter (2009, p. 6), the use of images as a graphical presentation began with books. This experience was used fairly quickly in May 1842 to periodicals. Herbet Ingram developed the renowned illustrated London news around this time. The publication made extensive use of visual data. Photojournalism is a branch of journalism that employs photos to convey tales and report events, according to Anderson (2014, p. 140). Unlike other types of photography like commercial, architectural, and industrial photography, it is distinctive. Its adherence to specific journalism standards, such as newsworthiness, timeliness, objectivity, fairness, and accurate depiction of the events, can be used to demonstrate this.
In photojournalism, events are captured on camera as they happen. A photojournalist is a reporter, just like a news reporter, but he or she writes with a camera and communicates news events through pictures. In order to tell tales, analyse events, and express their thoughts about society as journalists working for a better society, photojournalists use images (Harding, 2012).
The advent of photographs mechanically printed into newspapers opened up market for press photography. Pictures were mostly taken for their action and content rather than any aesthetic consideration. Today, they are used in the newspapers for different reasons. The other factor was the introduction, by George Eastman, of small cameras in use at that time. Thus, convenient cameras gave photojournalists the freedom to record news events easily and quickly. The technological advancement enabled them to also take pictures which were previously impossible to take such as night and moving images. One of the foremost photojournalist was a Frenchman, Henri Cartier –Bresson, who from 1930 to 2004 worked to document what he called the “decisive moment”. Cartier-Bresson believed that the dynamics in any given situation eventually reach a peak, at which a photographer will capture the most powerful image possible.
Photojournalists have become visual interpreters, using their cameras and knowledge to bring readers a feeling of what an event was really like. Meanwhile, in the past, the photojournalist depended on artists to draw replicas of his photograph, which was later reproduced by an engraver into a Zinc plate, (Aliagan, 2006). The plate was then printed on a Hoe rotary press. Due to the long process, several days passed before these line-drawn renderings of photographs appeared on the front-page of the newspaper.
The growth of photography and photojournalism can be traced to two major factors that occurred near the end of the 19th century. The first is the technical innovation. This includes the invention of roll film, smaller cameras, faster lens and the perfection of the half tone process of printing photographs as a series of light and dark dots which allowed newspaper publishers to reproduce photographs quickly and inexpensively.
Photographs in Journalism inform, educate and enlighten readers about current issues and also reflect on the past as well. Photographs in Newspaper enhance the credibility of the stories. As they depict reality, they also furnish evidence to show the authenticity of a news story or give proof of an event that occurred. Its aesthetic values enable a photograph to serve as a tool to attract reader’s attention and break the monotony of news content. Thus, photographs enhance and beautify the pages of a newspaper (Gervais, 2005). Beyond the active construction in the creation of the image in front of the camera, photo editing in programs like Adobe Photoshop are almost roundly rejected by ethics in photojournalism. This issue can be debated, but standard photo post-production elements such as smoothing out wrinkles on a person’s face, enhancing the colors of a location, or changing the contrast could all be considered clear violations of ethics in photojournalism. There have been many major cases in recent years of photojournalists being let go from major publications for the most minor alterations during photo editing. An example of this could be a color alteration to a photo where the sky color could be changed. This change in sky color could indicate or diminish the appearance of pollution, it could change the interpretation of the season, and it could even shift the perspective of the subjects Bose, (2002). All of these changes would be the anti-thesis of the structure of the photojournalist project and would violate it on a critical level. Photo editing can be used in certain situations, but it should remain incredibly minor if it wants to fit the strict ethical standards that have been associated with photojournalism.
A photograph in Newspaper speaks more than a thousand words. No formal education is required to understand a picture. Photographs are therefore able to break through literacy barrier to effectively communicate a message. It is a universal language.
Cartoons are non verbal graphic communication channels that express the opinions, views and findings of a media organization. They are used to advance an opinion in funny ways and are often based on current, burning and topical issues. They are used basically to educate, inform and entertain the audience by the print media (Emi, 2008).
Also, the need for investigative journalism has placed emphasis on the watchdog role of newspaper due to the fact that there are two sides of human namely: the godly and the animalistic side of human to behave in good manners but the animalistic side of the human is the evil side which can be seen in different wrong doings or atrocities of man. The yearning for power, the gratification of primal urges in powerful people, the pursuit of wealth, and their malevolent or erotic appetites are also displayed. The reasoning that is required of humans does not always translate into moral behavior, since their animalistic tendencies often take control. In order to prevent human societies from turning into the animal kingdom and being filled with evil, it is necessary for the media to highlight injustice and hold those responsible accountable.
In order to bring about social reforms, expose crime and other wrongdoings, speak up for the voiceless, and other things, it is also necessary to check the excesses of the powerful or privileged against the less privileged ones (Aina 2001). Furthermore, it is not overstated to say that Nigeria is one of the world’s most corrupt countries. International agencies have often attested to this incontrovertible truth, which supports their assertions that the nation has experienced various forms of corruption. The previous administration, headed by Chief Olusegun Obasajo, must have been perplexed by this to the point where he felt it necessary to create institutions that could combat corrupt behavior among citizens. Two of these institutions are the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EECC). Many people now refer to these after they have been in operation for a few years as a toothless bulldog organization. The press, which has been fighting corruption with its in-depth news reporting opinion, comments, editorial, editorial cartoon, etc., is the only organization on which Nigerians can rely.
According to Watson (2008), the media is one of the main public judges of human behavior. Several people have also discovered that newspaper cartoons are just as capable of serving as the watchdog of society. The researcher wants to provide an answer to this.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The study will look at how crime illustrations have impacted newspaper cartoons’ ability to serve as a social watchdog.
The purpose of the study is to evaluate how comic illustrations affect readers and the extent to which cartoons have served as social watchdogs.
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