Informational Bias In The Media

Most human beings have a sense of curiosity about learning what’s happening in the world around them. In order to attain this knowledge, visual prowess is relied heavily to analyze mediums, in order to understand incidents occurring all over the globe. With the assistance of evolution in technology, the media, specifically journalism, has become an essential medium through which knowledge is attained. Photojournalism is a type of journalism that plays an important role in conveying the message of a news event to the public. However, most people believe that photographs presented as medium to gain knowledge are a “transparent window on the world, capturing reality through a camera lens”, (Schwartz 2012). But in fact, most knowledge trying to

be presented through the medium of photography lacks objectivity. Therefore in this essay, a specific photograph (Figure 1) will be analyzed through the technique of organizational analysis, where the lack of objectivity in the realm of photojournalism will be showcased through the insight of informational bias within Figure 1. Furthermore, the content will also be examined in order to see if the photograph provides a specific point of view or a type of narrative. Finally, with the assistance of the codes of professional practice in photography, analysis based on observations will be made on how the Figure 1 follows the code.

Figure 1

Before the analysis begins, a brief understanding of the photo being analyzed is necessary. Figure 1 is an image of the newly elected Indian Prime Minister , Narendra Modi, taken at Madison Square Garden on September 28th, 2014 just before the Prime Minister was about to give his speech to the attendees. In addition, it is also important to understand that Narendra Modi was once banned from the United States because of his role as a Hindu nationalist. However after being appointed Prime Minister, the Americans lifted the ban and welcomed the former Hindu nationalist. This fact is extremely essential to remember as it will play a key role in the analysis of Figure 1.
With this brief description of the context of the image, analysis through the insight of informational bias can now be conducted effectively.

First of all, it is important to note that Figure 1 utilizes the principle of the rule of thirds. In the image, not only can one see blurry images of people clapping the left and right sides of the background, but also the American who’s face can be seen quite clearly and is placed right in the center of Figure 1. Instead of placing the prime minister in the center of the photo, the photographer deliberately placed the American in the background in the center which can be portrayed as an example of informational bias as through analyzing the photo with the knowledge of the previous banning of the Prime Minister, a reader can infer that the Figure 1 is trying to commemorate American’s support towards foreign politician and can also be viewed as a propaganda in order to assist the readers in forgetting the banning of the former Hindu politician. With the expert use of the rule of thirds, Figure 1 can be portrayed through the insight of informational bias as the main purpose of the photo and article (the welcoming of the politician) is overshadowed by the side message of Americans supporting foreign politicians and making the reader forget about the banning of the former Hindu

nationalist.
Content is another aspect of photojournalism that conveys a message or point of view regarding a particular news occasion. The famous sayings of “Don’t judge a book by its cover” and “A picture speaks a thousand words” can be utilized for photographs that are published in articles. This can be easily illustrated by comparing an article and photograph as two mediums delivering knowledge of news events. Although the two usually coincide, in an article, the author indirectly states a point of view regarding the context of the subject of the article, whereas a photograph becomes ambiguous when analyzed separately may convey a totally different message altogether.
In Figure 1, the content of the photograph directly correlates to the informational bias portrayed previously stated.

As mentioned above, Figure 1 follows the rule of thirds, which drives the reader’s attention away from the Prime Minister and to the American in the center of the image. By focusing on the American, the photographer possibly wants to demonstrate the how the Americans are supporting the foreign leader forgetting the previous events of his banning. However, since the article doesn’t specifically talk about the photo and the caption only gives a brief context of the Prime Minister arriving before his speech, the purpose and the true meaning behind the photograph remains ambiguous and gives the reader the opportunity to understand what’s happening with the assistance of the reader’s own ideologies, experiences, and prior knowledge. In addition, if the photograph was published without the article, there is a possibility that the main message (welcoming of the Prime Minister) may be forgotten altogether and a new message could be interpreted by the reader that Americans are portrayed as kind and supportive people as they are clapping and welcoming with support the foreign minister. However, without the news article stating previous banning of the Hindu nationalist, the readers get the wrong impression that the Americans where always supportive of this man. Therefore, this ambiguity leads us to question the objectivity of photojournalism because it becomes

difficult to understand the reality of the true meaning of a photograph.
Just like any other profession, photojournalism also has its codes and convections that need to be followed. Since photojournalists are required to be involved in the “manufacturing of imagery however at the same time have to legitimize their work so that it captures the news” (Schwartz, 2012), the rules of their practice are placed with the goal of transforming “real life complexity into an immediately understandable visual representation to the viewers” (Schwartz, 2012). The rule of thirds is a common technique used to achieve this goal as this technique allows the photographer to control “which elements within the visual field will receive the viewer’s attention” (Schwartz, 2012). As seen through figure 1, the rule of thirds is utilized to overshadow the importance of the Indian Prime Minister’s arrival with the supportiveness of the Americans and how they welcome foreign politicians. Thus through these codes and convections, photojournalists are able to provide effective pieces of news photography but are sometimes still lack objectivity in the true purpose of the photo.

Therefore through organizational analysis, it can be seen through analysis and examination that photojournalism is bound and produced by the codes of professional practices and it usually encompasses aspects of informational bias and the ambiguity of content, which can result in the reader not understanding the reality of the situation and might become a subject of illusion. In conclusion, photojournalism sometimes encompasses of taking photographs that will generate emotional connection and interest to the general public instead of illustrating the true reality of the situation. This is the reason that photojournalism lacks objectivity in many cases, as photojournalists selectively and expertly take images that will best assist them in connecting with the readers.