Captions Have Feelings Too!

When reading the newspaper, I look at the photos before reading the actual article. Captions are written to get a better idea of what the photo is about and are brief statements that explain the photo. What some people might not understand, though, is how difficult a task it is to write a caption that not only conveys the information of the photo to the reader in a sentence or two, but also is accurate with the information it presents and how it presents it.

Consider a photograph of three women sitting at a coffee shop. In the photo the middle woman is a teacher who is about to be laid off because of budget cuts, but the other two ladies own a computer hardware business. You want to only name the middle lady because the story is about the proposed lay offs of teachers, so you write, "Jane Smith, a teacher at ......." What does the reader get from this? First of all, they'll wonder why the teacher's friends don't just allow her to join in on their business. But more importantly, the readers will not know who the teacher is and will end up guessing. In turn, you're putting these ladies in a false light if the reader guesses wrong. It's a little frustrating to the reader.

To fix this, you would instead say, "Jane Smith, center, a teacher at....." By stating she's in the center, readers can easily figure out who the teacher is. This small detail in writing captions is just one of many tweaks that, if used correctly, will allow you to write a very concise and accurate caption, which is extremely important in helping you become the best photojournalist you could be.

How Important is the First Amendment?

The First Amendment

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Without the First Amendment, journalism would be very limited in the content that is exposed to the general population.  Although journalism does involve conveying factual information to the public, it also deals with expresses expressing opinions on controversial issues and other material, sometimes criticizing the government and other high authority figures.  If the First Amendment ceased to exist, expressing one’s opinion would not be as easy as it is, if allowed at all.

            As seen above, the First Amendment protects us in many ways while also allowing us to express our opinion openly, including questioning and criticizing authority whenever we want when we have to.  There are some lines that should not be crossed and if done, could cause a heap of trouble for the trespasser. 

            For example, stating, “President Obama is a communist” when it’s not true would fall in the area of statements that should not be said.  Although saying this and other false accusations may get you attention, it will also get you into trouble, and if you’re working for a respected company, termination.  

            Beyond making outrageous statements like this, the First Amendment protects opinions made by journalists and is very beneficial to the state of journalism.