The Effect of

Photojournalism on the
World

By Tasneema Sobhany 10-2

Mark Wolov
How does photojournalism affect the
world?
In photojournalism, we are given
“unprecedented power and
indisputable information about the
world in which we live”
 In 1963, a Buddhist monk in Vietnam
decided to burn himself to death while he
was meditating in front of a crowd.
He sacrificed his own life just to protest
against religious prosecution.

Would you ever go to that extent to get

your message out to the world?
The day President John F. Kennedy saw
the picture, he remarked, “no news
picture in history has generated so
much emotion around the world as that
one”
Copies of the photo were sold on the
streets in Europe. Millions of copies
were distributed in Communist China
as evidence of “US Imperialism”
A Sudanese child tries crawling to a UN
camp over a kilometer away. A vulture
waits for her to die so it can eat her.

This photo became popular practically

overnight.
The photographer won a Pulitzer prize.
Kevin Carter, the photographer, was
attacked by millions of people for not
helping the little girl.

Three months later, he committed

suicide because he was haunted by the
famine.
On June 5, 1989, a Chinese man in
Tiananmen Square, Beijing, stood in
front of a line of tanks, preventing
their advance.
 This picture spread worldwide, and he
became known as one of the 100 most
influential people of the 20th century.

With a single act of defiance captured on

camera, this lone Chinese hero revived
the world’s image of courage.
A missionary goes to Uganda in April,
1980.

Everyone already knows about the

famine in Africa, but seeing something
like this with your own eyes brings
you to reality.
A South Vietnam national police chief
executes a suspected Viet Cong
member on February 1, 1968.
 This is the photo that most influenced
people’s opinion on modern warfare.
This shocked America into a lot of anti-
war enthusiasm.
A gorgeous 12 year old girl stands in a
cotton mill in Vermont, where she
works all day.
Although child labor is not present in
America today, we know that child
labor is very common in developing
countries. Knowing that America once
used children for work is devastating.
This is one of the many photos that
convinced America that Congress
should pass child labor laws.
Photojournalism serves as an instrument
for democracy and justice.
It can implement violence and
oppression, but it also gives a nobody
a voice.
It plays havoc with power by making a
gesture speak a thousand words.
Photojournalism goes beyond conveying
a mood, it inspires people to act.
“Justice can draw its sword in the time it
takes an eye to scan an image.”