You can’t always believe what you see
Viewer beware. Images are easily manipulated.
RON
DEBOER
Special to CW
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Images tell stories. But can we always be sure that what we see on television is for real? How should Christian TV viewers respond to news images that may not be conveying the truth?
A few weeks ago the world witnessed the “abduction” of Elian Gonzales by U.S. federal agents. Thanks to CNN–which maintains that the world must see news events unfolding–we were able to watch as Elian was snatched from his home and thrust into a mini-van. A photographer was also on hand, and his pictures of a wide-eyed, terrified Elian being pulled from a closet by an armed agent were quickly made public. Predictably, Cuban-Americans were outraged and family members exploited the image for all it was worth.
Hours later, however, new photos of Elian emerged. This time he was smiling on his father’s shoulders and sitting with his new family on a bench. Immediately, a debate about the authenticity of the pictures began. Some even suggested that an Elian-imposter had been used since differences in the length of hair could be noted when the two pictures were compared.
Even in Canada news images cannot always be trusted. One prime example occurred in the 1980s when former prime minister Brian Mulroney’s secretary fainted beside him during a speech. The front-page photo of one Toronto newspaper showed the fallen secretary in the foreground while Mulroney continued his speech. A rival newspaper’s front-page used a picture taken a split second after the first, this of a concerned Mulroney reaching down to help the woman.
The images were carried on countless television newscasts: one suggesting a heartless Mulroney, the other conveying his concern.
Image conscious
It’s no news we live in an image-laden culture. Internet Websites and multi-channel TVs fill our homes with images of the world around us. Advertisements employ images to help us make positive associations to products.
The challenge for Christian media consumers is to go beyond surface images to discern truth. To do so, we must first recognize that the pervasive influence of media images has created a falseness that permeates our lives.
The camera shapes behaviour. When a video camera begins shooting, the behaviour of those being filmed immediately changes. Our culture has bowed to the camera god. Video shows about criminals and highway accidents, not to mention talk shows, are very popular. Bystanders hoping to be interviewed routinely jockey for position when news cameras appear.
Many people are all too willing to role-play, lie or offer what they believe the camera audience wants to see. Why else, for example, do crowds line up to give their thoughts about a deceased celebrity they never knew but whose death seems somehow devastating to them?
While responsibility for truthfulness in pictures lies in the hands of photographers, producers, editors and the subjects themselves, Christian media consumers are called to critically question what they see.
“Artificial reality” test
One way to seek truth when discerning images is to apply the “artificial reality test” to TV images. Ask yourself these questions:
1. Is the picture posed? All television commercials are posed pictures no matter how natural the subjects appear. As well, audiences should be skeptical about the many talk shows and news programs that offer the camera subjects who wish to manipulate the truth through their finely constructed naturalness.
2. Is the subject aware of the camera? Political figures and celebrities often attempt to construct a natural look when they are in public. Close analysis of body position, facial expressions, behaviour and the relationship between the subject and the camera will help decipher these images.
3. Is the picture natural? Some news and sports photos fall into this category. The subject is either totally unaware of the camera or is in a context in which the camera might not affect behaviour. We should still pay attention to the arrangement and choice of images used to tell the story. We should always question why a certain picture was used to lead a news story or why video footage was chosen to accompany a news item.
Pictures often suggest much more than they tell, but with discernment, truth can still be found in the sea of images we are confronted with daily.
Ron De Boer is author of The Nothings and the Lightbringer series of novels for children. Contact him by email at: deboerr@hotmail.com