In a message dated 1/11/03 11:52:53, chilled_delirium@mailstation.com writes: << In the _From the Editor_ column of the current NG, Bill Allen writes on disclosure (literally) of digital manipulation and NG's policy on the matter. "Our policy: Altering the content of photos in National Geographic is unacceptable. Any exception must be explained so that readers won't confuse those images with the documentary images that are our mainstay. " In my opinion, this is as it should be. I also see nothing wrong with several publishers with like ideas forming an association and their own standards -- for themselves.. Note that NG will (and in this issue does) use digital manipulation for editorial illustration, but they clearly state when this is the case. >> I'm glad for their policy too, but it took a bit of doing, didn't it? When they altered the placement of the pyramids on the 1982 cover the policy had not yet been established, and it was only after a hue and cry on revelation of the manipulation that the policy was put in place. The manipulation without revelation (rather like taxation without representation) was a huge blow to their credibility and reputation. It still lingers more than 20 years later. In surfing about for more information on the cover that started the flap I came across some very good reading on photo ethics and manipulation, as well as photography in general: A great read with lots of food for thought: The Atlantic Monthly--Photography in the Age of Falsification The wildlife photography we see in films, books, and periodicals is often stunning in its design, import, and aesthetics. It may also be fake, enhanced, or manufactured by emerging digital technologies that have transformed -- some say contaminated -- the photography landscape by Kenneth Brower http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/98may/photo.htm >From the NPPA: Ethics in the Age of Digital Photography http://www.nppa.org/services/bizpract/eadp/eadp8.html Speaks of the National Geographic and the manipulation of the cover which led to the current policy of revealing such alterations. Cheers, Rich Mason Photographer-at-Large <A HREF="http://www.richmason.com/";>http://richmason.com</A> See the new section: Rich on the Road
