Today news channels and newspapers make use of pictures to support their reports. Some hold the view that pictures cannot be relied upon, while others feel that the importance of accompanying photographs cannot be ignored. Discuss and give your opinion in not less than 250 words
Proliferation of multimedia usage is causing a profound shift in reporting; reliance on photographs is seen in negative light, while a section considers inclusion of this means as crucial for mass-media broadcasting. This essay shall critically examine these views and draw a plausible conclusion.
Proponents cite umpteen benefits of attaching photos with news reports: it allows readers to extract underlying information, for as they can visually correlate and comprehend the circumstances in which an event occurred. Additionally, authenticity of reports is established when news is complemented with related videos and images. To corroborate this, a survey carried out by The Times of India demonstrated that publications containing graphics witness acknowledgement from the audience as comprehensive and informative.
However, critics of this practice hold a negative view of such practice and vehemently oppose using any distraction while news reporting as it misleads users: in some extreme cases, paint a picture which at times is exaggerated. For instance, an article published by a prominent journalist misquoting the make and model of an accident-ridden aircraft led to a swatches of doctored images and AI-generated videos claiming origination of this report, leading to major criticism of the aircraft manufacturer and eroding millions in stock prices and invaluable trust of consumers.
Additionally, avid newspaper readers blame the overuse and abuse of snapshots as a tool to artificially increase the number of pages; through this, agencies can charge exorbitant prices per publication, dodging the main objective. This phenomenon furthered the degrading quality of journalism as it serves none but the advertisers.
Overall, although reports laden with images helps one to grasp the context, it should not be seen as a critical requirement of news as it can be counterproductive in certain cases and unnecessarily occupy space and attention.