|
Sashi Kumar, journalist
and chairman of Media Development Foundation, has exhorted
mediapersons to expand their horizons and avoid clichés.
Delivering the keynote address at a function organised by
the Thrissur Press Club on Thursday in remembrance of photo
journalist Victor George, he said that in an era where
events not recorded were considered as non-existent,
journalists should diversify and explore newer venues to
liberate journalism from the rut of clichés.
Speaking about the scope and importance of photographs, Mr.
Sashi Kumar pointed out that photographs occupied
centre-stage at a time when the print media was competing
with visual media.
“It is no longer a supplement to the written text but has
become a standalone entity. Visual impact determines the
marketability of newspapers. Photographs expose attitudes
that are concealed in words.
They are more eloquent.”
He noted that stills frozen in time such as that of a
Vietnamese girl running down a road after the South
Vietnamese Air Force napalm attack were milestones.
“Photographs have an enduring effect than television
footage.”
Mr. Sashi Kumar urged photo journalists to indulge in
self-criticism. “The paradox is that photo journalists often
find themselves on the wrong side of the situation. For
instance, in situations of conflicts between the police and
the public, violent mobs get photographed most of the time
as photo journalists position themselves on the opposite
side. Thus police violence goes unnoticed or not exposed,”
he added. (July 09, 2009)
|
