These guidelines are intended to help preserve our credibility. In an era when technological developments allow photos to be manipulated in ways that can mislead or deceive viewers, we must be especially careful and deliberate in how we use photographs.
It’s the Star‘s policy that any content alteration of news photographs is unacceptable. We do not concoct news photographs and try to pass them off as reality.
It is acceptable to dodge and/or burn areas and to correct technical defects in a photo (such as dust spots, transmission line hits, or color shifts) as long as the photograph’s content is not changed. Removing digital stamping or printing from a negative or print also is acceptable as long as content is not altered.
Photojournalists should not set-up, re-create, direct, or otherwise intrude on the reality of an event. Direction is allowed for situations such as portraits, fashion, studio work, and photo illustration and should be obvious to the viewer.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS
These are photographs staged or produced, otherwise “‘not real’ situations” which are documented through the lens of a camera. This excludes environmental portraits shot on location. It should always be clear to a reader that the image is of a staged situation, not a real, “live” event.
These are images manipulated in PhotoShop or by other tools. Digitally-altered photos must not be made to look like a real photo or situation. The viewer must not be fooled.
When feasible, include in the cutline an explanation of any special effects used in creating the photo illustration, especially if it aids the viewer’s understanding of the photo.
All photo illustrations should be labeled as such.
HERE ARE GUIDELINES TO ADDRESS A WIDE RANGE OF SITUATIONS
Discussion with a photo editor is required before:
- Altering or manipulating a photo for a photo illustration.
Such manipulation must be obvious to the viewer and the photo illustration must be labeled.
- Placing type or another image on a photo. We should not place type on news photos.
- Using historical photos, photos from The Star’s archives (Merlin) or Star Library photos.
- Producing a COB (cut-out-background) from a photo.
With rare exceptions, no news/feature/sports photo from a “live news event” — shot that day — should be considered for a COB. The exception is for use in the Powerbar at the top of the page. In that case, the COB should lead the reader to the full-frame photo inside the section, or to another full-frame photo from the same event. The Assistant Managing Editor of Photography must approve any other exceptions.
The powerbar photo should not be the only photographic representation from a live news event.
Discussion with the AME/Photo and a managing editor or the editor is required before:
Publishing a photo of a sensitive nature, especially one that may offend community standards because of graphic subject matter, nudity, obscenity or other sensitive subjects. The discussion group should be expanded to include gender and/or cultural diversity if it doesn’t exist within this group of editors.
