Survey Measures Attitudes About News Photo Manipulation

 

(July 3, 2007) – Dennis Dunleavy, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, OR, who teaches visual journalism and digital technology, is conducting a second annual online survey about photographic digital manipulation.

"Last year, I surveyed photographers about their attitudes and perceptions concerning the digital manipulation of photographs, especially within the context of news reportage," Dunleavy said. "This year, I would like to continue to ask respondents about the alternation of images with a brand new survey. However, the questions in this survey are far broader with the hope of collecting responses from a wider audience. Just how serious are people about photo digital manipulation?

"What I discovered last year was that only about half of the more than 480 respondents believed they could detect a picture when it was digitally altered. Only 6 percent strongly agreed with the statement, 'I can tell when a photograph has been altered.' At the same time, 85 percent of the respondent agreed that they had seen a digitally manipulated picture in the media within the last five years."

Dunleavy says this year's survey is very different. "It seeks to understand how people actually define photo digital manipulation. The survey is also reaching beyond the professional ranks as well and explores how significant digital manipulation is as an issue in society. Further, at the bottom of each question is an area for comments, which is something last year's survey lacked. Broad participation in this survey is encouraged as it is not only designed for professionals, but for enthusiasts as well."

The survey is online here, and Dunleavy encourages broad participation. The results will be reported back to NPPA as well as published on www.dennisdunleavy.com.

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