EPAThe photo is said to have been taken by Prince William
NOS Nieuws•maandag, 23:08
And with that a line was crossed. In journalism, photos must show the truth, says ANP editor-in-chief Freek Staps.
The ANP receives 60,000 press photos from abroad every day. It is exceptional that a photo has to be withdrawn. “It happens very rarely that a so-called picture kill is sent,” says Staps.
The editor-in-chief explains that with such a message, the international photo press agency tells all editors around the world: this photo is incorrect and we must therefore withdraw it.
“In journalism, photos are true,” says Staps. “Then whoever looks at the photo knows that what is in that photo is real. And we no longer know that.”
More questions
The photo of Princess Kate and her children was posted yesterday on the official account of Prince William and his wife. Sources around the British royal family say otherwise the BBC that the photo was intended as an “amateur family photo” on British Mother’s Day.
The news agencies received the photo through the British royal family and published it so that the news media might distribute it further. The photo is said to have been taken by Prince William.
Royalty fans were initially very happy with the photo, because for privacy reasons the palace has so far hardly made any announcements regarding the condition of the princess, who had just been released from the hospital. The media silence made many British people concerned. But in the end, the photo only raises more questions. According to the BBC, the British royal family does not intend to release the original photo.
There are already all kinds of conspiracy theories going around and the edited photo only seems to reinforce them, according to British people on the street:
‘By editing the photo you only draw more attention to it’
It is okay to adjust private photos, Staps emphasizes. According to him, it is not a problem to adjust the lighting of a photo, for example. But different rules apply to press photos.
“You are not allowed to add things or remove things,” says ANP editor-in-chief Staps. “Then a photo is no longer factually correct.” He believes that the fact that Kate changed the photo herself does not contribute to her credibility.
Photojournalist Joris van Gennip pays less attention to the princess’s procedure. “From a purely journalistic point of view, nothing has changed,” says Van Gennip. “In that respect it doesn’t do much harm.”
He himself takes photos for the ANP and the Volkskrant, among others. He has won several prizes at the Silver Camera, the most important Dutch prize for photojournalism.
For example, Princess Kate did not add anything to the photo, Van Gennip explains. The colors haven’t changed either. However, he does not think the changes are wise. “Her position as princess is so based on the truth that secretly changing a photo without saying anything is not useful. The people must trust you and believe you.”
Brush away the stain
Like Staps, Van Gennip explains that the rule in journalism is: reality may not be changed in a photo. “Things go wrong when things are added or taken out.”
What is allowed is cropping a photo slightly, adjusting the color contrast and sharpness slightly or brushing away a spot that was on the lens. “From a journalistic point of view, those things are possible, but you are not allowed to brush away an arm or hand, for example.”