digital photojournalism

In her essay "Digital Photojournalism," Cheryl Diaz Meyer relates her personal experiences taking photos in Afghanistan after 9/11 using the latest technological devices. Meyer uses that experience as a springboard to relay her opinions about the influence of technology on photojournalism and journalists' ability to relay news to readers. She writes that the war in Afghanistan was a seminal moment in this new chapter of photojournalism.

"It was the first war in which all still photojournalists worked with digital cameras, transmitted via satellite phones, and were constrained only by the rigors of war," she said. "As a journalist, having a good satellite phone was a safety issue and a necessary tool for the job," she argues.

It's hard to disagree. First, from a financial standpoint, it would be too expensive to support foreign correspondents and their tech support staff. It would also be difficult to ensure employee safety. So, it obviously makes sense to have photographers who are already familiar with one visual medium to try their hand at video.

But as sensible as the trend is, Meyer wonder if it will lead to better journalism. Most journalists are extremely passionate about their work, be it photography, writing or videography. When you ask a writer to take pictures, he will not approach that skill with the same passion as he does writing, at least not initially. He does not have a technological edge and often has to learn how to operate new technology via a few explanatory classes or, worse yet, on the fly. I can't imagine photographers experiences being any different. As Meyer says, "the challenge of learning new technologies and poor training has caused degradation in the overall quality of photojournalism." This is especially troubling in remote areas where there are few journalists and options. It's important to get the best possible image.

It's also troubling because it cuts into reporters' and photographers' free time. Part of the joy of being a journalist is the ability find new stories and angles by pure luck. I wonder if new photographers won't be spending more time figuring out new-fangled gadgets and less time hunting down the perfect picture or photo essay. A journalist becomes a "jack of all trades."

Some photographers are fatalistic about these new developments. In her article, Meyer quotes Kenny Irby, head of the Visual Journalism Program at Poynter as saying: "Because of technology, photographers can spend more time with subjects. You can deliver content more efficiently and quickly from remote areas and that content can be multimedia-based. I'm not saying this is great-- I'm saying, this is reality."

But Meyer still questions this new breed of platypus journalism through her boss, Ken Geiger, director of photography at the Dallas Morning News. Geiger notes: "The level that we expect our photographers to perform precludes them from multi-tasking."