Objective?
Henri Bureau
The term often comes up in discussions on journalism and photojournalism. Our fellow journalists of the written word can write about feelings and the surrounding environment, using news from different sources, conjuring up odors. Our confreres on TV may be closer to us, but they have movement, sound and the possibility of adding a commentary and a panoramic view over 360°. How can a photo-reporter be objective when his scope is so narrow and restrictive in relation to the size and scope of the events to be reported? And the photographer has to choose the time and place to shoot, i.e. what will be reported. Objectivity or partiality? Does it matter?
Preview
What memories would we have of the Spanish Civil War without Capa? … of Korea without Duncan’s murals? … or the battle of Iwo Jima without Joe Rosenthal? … of the Red Army seizing the Reichstag without Khaldei? … or the Vietnam war without Burrows, MacCullin and Philip Jones Griffith? And what about Marc Riboud’s masterpiece showing the girl and her flower in the midst of the riots in Washington DC? Are such icons objective or subjective? There is no clear cut answer, but what is clear is that they were taken by honest people working with humility, but also with a certain pretension, so that we can remember. For twenty years, and in all modesty, I have endeavored to report honestly on the things, people and events in the life of a reporter. I have tried to see through things, clearly. And it is certainly not easy.
