Israel Matzav

Massive Honest Reporting study shows bias in the use of photography

A massive study of photographs by media bias watchdog Honest Reporting shows blatant bias by the major wire services in their use of photographs in reporting about Israel (Hat Tip: Daily Alert).

To find out if Israel is being treated fairly by the wire services, we embarked on a three-month in-depth study of how Israel is portrayed by all three wires. This study covers the period that began with the Gaza flotilla on May 31, 2010 and ended with the murder of four Israelis at the hands of Palestinian terrorists on Aug. 31, 2010.

The study was carried out by David Katz, a professional photographer with 25 years experience working at the highest levels in the media together with HonestReporting. Over three months, some 13,500 photos from Israel and the Palestinian territories were reviewed.

The study revealed a pattern of double standards and bias that has become a norm in coverage of the region, particularly in regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Distortions of images mostly fell into the following categories:

1. Deliberate Staging
2. Use of wide-angle lenses and photographer positions to make photos appear more dramatic than the reality
3. Photographers choosing positions that effect the events they are shooting
4. Editorializing in photo captions.

The study did not reveal significant instances of photo manipulation through programs such as Photoshop. While dramatic examples of digital photo manipulation have been uncovered in the past, most notably during the Second Lebanon War, the study found that photo bias against Israel consisted largely of subtle techniques such as staging images.

To ensure objectivity in the study, HonestReporting used the wire services' stated missions (Appendix 1) as its standard, comparing the missions to actual performance.

Read the whole thing and click on the links.

Labels: Honest Reporting, media bias, photographs

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:54 PM