The Citizen has noted concerns raised about its front page photo of Wednesday, 19 September 2012.

The photo, supplied by Agence France-Presse, was digitally altered prior publication to remove two bodies depicted in the original.

A decision was made during the editorial conference the day before to run the picture in question, but to blur the bodies, in the same manner as was done during television broadcasts of the aftermath of the attack.

This directive was not carried out. Instead the bodies were digitally cloned out of the photo.

We regret this and are taking steps to ensure that it does not happen again.

The Citizen feels very strongly that photographs should never be digitally altered in this manner.

When photographs contain imagery judged too graphic for publication, those areas should be blurred and this should be explained in the caption.

“The photo should never have been published in that form,” The Citizen Editor Martin Williams said on Thursday, 20 September.

“It is always a complicated decision to decide how much gore and graphic violence we allow onto the front page. We recently published a photo of the Marikana massacre, with the bodies of the dead clearly visible. This photo was not nearly as graphic as the Kabul one, which is why the bodies were not blurred.

“Due to the much more graphic nature of the Kabul blast photo, we felt that blurring the bodies was appropriate. Removing them completely is, however, completely inexcusable and we readily admit that this never should have happened.”

ISSUED BY: The Citizen Newspaper

Contact: michaelc@citizen.co.za

The National Press Club has called on The Citizen newspaper to explain itself following allegations that it digitally manipulated its front page photo of Wednesday, 19 September, of the suicide attack on a minibus in Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday.

According to social media conversations and industry talk, an executive editorial decision was made to use the photo, supplied by Agence France Presse, but to manipulate it to block out the bodies of victims of the attack. This, allegedly, was done in spite of photographers calling for the use of an alternative photo.

Chairperson Antoinette Slabbert says manipulating news photographs goes against the rules of ethical journalism. “News photographers are, in essence, journalists who work in pictures. Manipulating photos that portray facts seems totally unethical. We believe The Citizen, if it did not want to show dead bodies in the photo, should have chosen to use an alternative photo instead. We call on the newspaper to explain this to the media fraternity and its readers.

“Photographers and journalists have to adhere to strict ethical standards when doing their job and we believe they should be allowed to speak up when their rights are affected. The National Press Club will continue to be vocal on issues affecting ethics in the journalism profession.”

The National Press Club has a new chairperson, Antoinette Slabbert, senior in-depth journalist with Sake 24. Slabbert has been the club’s deputy chairperson and her election follows the resignation of Yusuf Abramjee.

When Abramjee was re-elected as chairperson earlier this year, he indicated then he would only take up the position for a further few months because of his commitments with LeadSA, Crime Line and Safact.

Abramjee says: “The press club has always been and will always be close to my heart. I have thoroughly enjoyed my terms of office over the years. We have to grow and develop new leaders and I am pleased there are many able and willing individuals in the executive who can take over.

“Keep up the good work and please keep the flag of the National Press Club flying high. The club has always played a leading role and it must continue doing so. I hope I leave behind some legacy and I appeal to the executive committee to continue being the voice for the media.”

The executive committee expressed their gratitude for Abramjee’s outstanding leadership of the club and hoped that as a member he would continue his support.

Jos Charle, executive editor at the Pretoria News, accepted the position of deputy chairperson.

For more information contact Ben Rootman at the National Press Club on tel 082 257 0305 or ben@junxionpr.co.za.