Michael Tyrrell - Steve McCurry

            After conducting research of my own on the topic of former photojournalist Steve McCurry, I personally stand by the public’s reaction to his altercations of photography. The distinction between a photojournalist and an artist is extremely important, as we have discussed in class, and McCurry at the time was exclaiming to the world that he was giving authentic portrayals of what he photographed. According to an article on the topic by Business Insider, “…his sister Bonnie McCurry V'Soske (who also runs his studio) estimates he's shot more than a million news and travel photos”. This behavior is absolutely unethical in regards to photojournalism in which there are strict rules regarding alterations to photographs. Now, McCurry’s estimated one million photographs taken over the course of his career must be discredited, as no one can be certain of the authenticity of what he is reporting. After the outbreak of the scandal, McCurry announced publicly that he would continue photographing in such a way that he could alter his photos while still telling a story. However, McCurry never should have allowed himself to be labeled as a photojournalist during the time he already was changing significant details in his earlier work. In most cases, McCurry, or a member of his team would remove one or two people, or change a small, extraneous object in the background, making his scandal even more ironic. CNN proclaims McCurry as one of the most successful men in photography of all time, citing, “The famous photograph is just one of thousands of extraordinary pictures that McCurry has taken over a 40-year career, during which he has won dozens of awards”. As the most well known photojournalist of all time, McCurry instead lost the acclaim of a lifetime’s work over alterations that made the photographs only slightly more attractive to the eye. McCurry’s work was first brought into question after viewers noticed an Italian man’s leg being partially misplaced with the base of a sign as he crossed the street. After further investigation, National Geographic was forced to retract their most famous work, “Afghan Girl”, after coming to the conclusion that this photograph too had been altered. While it is unfortunate this man’s career had to suffer the turmoil it did, I believe McCurry is responsible for the decision he made. At first glance, the harmless removal of a distracting object or person may seem like no wrongdoing at all, but ethics in photography must be strictly abided by or drastic, reality-altering changes will inevitably follow. While most amateur photographers edit their photos and see no dilemma with it, we must consider the journalist portion of McCurry’s title as photojournalist. Television journalists and news reporters must report the exact findings without fault or else a news story quickly declines into opinion columns. This is no different in the world of photojournalism, as it is important for the audience to trust that what is being presented to them is accurate. In addition, DW went into detail about the issue, commenting, ‘What he did in Photoshop is totally outside the limit of power in the profession. In my opinion, one cannot move any pixel when it comes to journalistic photographs,’ Maraviglia told DW”. While I myself am condemning of McCurry’s decision, I found this reaction to be too strong, as light editing to enhance the photograph overall with no specific regions undergoing alterations is generally approved for photojournalists. All in all, I respect the decades of danger and vulnerability Steve McCurry underwent to collect some of the most extraordinary photographs most people have ever seen. I do not, however, believe he made the right choice in editing his photos, and disagree with his after-the-fact change of title.

Works Cited

Deutsche Welle. “'Ethical Lapse': Photoshop Scandal Catches up with Iconic Photojournalist Steve McCurry | DW | 31.05.2016.” DW.COM, www.dw.com/en/ethical-lapse-photoshop-scandal-catches-up-with-iconic-photojournalist-steve-mccurry/a-19296237.

Letzter, Rafi. “The 'Afghan Girl' Photographer Faked Some of His Photos. Does It Matter?” Business Insider, Business Insider, 21 May 2016, www.businessinsider.com/steve-mccurry-photo-editing-scandal-2016-5.

Simons, Jake Wallis. “The Story behind the World's Best Photograph.” CNN, Cable News Network, 2 Dec. 2016, www.cnn.com/style/article/steve-mccurry-afghan-girl-photo/index.html.