Week 11 Journalism/News – News Visual Analysis Instructions

Due in IS drop box on Dec 7 before noon

NOTE: There is no required word minimum, but you are expected to fully answer the questions below.


View the photos (approximately 22) at the New York Times archive of images featured exactly once in
their lifetime in newspaper — or outtakes that were never used: “California: State of Change”:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/09/us/california-history-photos.html

1.      Recently we read about “pseudo images” as made-up images without an original source, posing
dangers of deceiving viewers with publicity and illusion. How does the inclusion of “metadata”
(notations, etc. beyond the actual photograph) add to the authenticity of this archive? Can you
express your thoughts with reference to any of our theories?

2.      Identify an overall narrative (or narratives) to these photos and explain using some of our
course vocabulary.

3.      In “Heart of the Seer” (one of this week’s readings), Julianne Newton offered critique on
the photojournalist as Human Being or Dispassionate Observer?, Watchdog or Voyeur? Reporter or
Artist? Storyteller or Social Scientist? Choose one of these questions that you can associate with
one (or more) of the California photos, and identify what you found interesting, surprising or
confusing.