Staging

Staging a photo or video is a terrible thing, because even though it may start as something it can eventually grow and cause the consumer to lose trust in the media. My question though is why anyone would even want to stage a photo or anything else? As a journalist we shouldn't go into an interview or an event thinking what the story is. We need to go in there be alert and find what the story is.

For example, in Dave Wertheimer's article the photographer who asked the recent draft pick to pose as is he was answering the call from the team that drafted him, is missing other stories. I bet he had more phone calls then the one from the NFL. I bet that family members and friends called to congratulate him, or that he called places looking into the new city that will become his home. Those are interesting stories. The photographer could have taken pictures of him after he was drafted and how he and his family were adjusting to the draft. So, even thought it is unethical to stage a photo, I also think that it can cause a journalist to los focus on other aspects of a story.

- Erick Ward