Is it really an ethical decision to change the color of your bathing shorts in a photograph? I don’t think so. Ethics are not involved when it comes to your personal decisions. But the same situation becomes ethical when you want to put someone on the cover of a magazine.
The Washingtonian magazine, put a shirtless Obama on their cover of May Issue and also took the liberty of changing the color of his bathing shorts from black to red.
There are two questions here -
1. Is it all right to put a shirtless photo of American President on the cover of Washingtonian?
2. Is it all right to change the color of his shorts from black to red?
Washingtonian President and Publisher Cathy Merrill Williams said that she didn’t really think that this will become an issue. First, she didn’t think there was anything wrong in putting the picture of shirtless Obama on the cover. She said there are articles inside that show what Obama is really about. Second, she said that they had to change the color because black wouldn’t show on black, hence the red shorts.
Here is what Prof. Susan Moeller, a media literacy Professor at UMD has to say about it. She says it’s unethical to play with the photographs because it changes our perception about who Obama is.
I too think it is wrong to change the color of his shorts. On a deeper level, this raises questions of credibility and trust that readers put in media. Readers believe that media is being truthful at all times. ” By being dishonest (among other things), media has alienated their readers. It would be important to see how Washingtonian addresses this crisis.
The Washingtonian magazine, put a shirtless Obama on their cover of May Issue and also took the liberty of changing the color of his bathing shorts from black to red.
There are two questions here -
1. Is it all right to put a shirtless photo of American President on the cover of Washingtonian?
2. Is it all right to change the color of his shorts from black to red?
Washingtonian President and Publisher Cathy Merrill Williams said that she didn’t really think that this will become an issue. First, she didn’t think there was anything wrong in putting the picture of shirtless Obama on the cover. She said there are articles inside that show what Obama is really about. Second, she said that they had to change the color because black wouldn’t show on black, hence the red shorts.
Here is what Prof. Susan Moeller, a media literacy Professor at UMD has to say about it. She says it’s unethical to play with the photographs because it changes our perception about who Obama is.
I too think it is wrong to change the color of his shorts. On a deeper level, this raises questions of credibility and trust that readers put in media. Readers believe that media is being truthful at all times. ” By being dishonest (among other things), media has alienated their readers. It would be important to see how Washingtonian addresses this crisis.
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