What comes to your mind when you think of journalism? Maybe articles? Or newspaper clippings? Perhaps even big-name broadcast journalists? Well, my answer may be different than yours. I think of the photos that make up every story.
My name is Natalie Gordon, and this is my second year as multimedia editor for The Beacon. That means I am, among other things, a photojournalist. I see the world visually, as many of us do. I see stories in every frame and truth in every lens. However, in the age of cell phones, generative AI and cutting-edge technology, visual storytelling is at risk.
Many of us don’t realize how much photojournalism we are consuming, nor do we think about the people who take the photos we see under big headlines. For example, have you ever seen the photo known as “Napalm Girl?” Or how about the “Tank Man” from Tiananmen Square? Or more recently, the photo of a bullet flying toward President Trump?
Even on campus, you may have noticed The Beacon’s photojournalism throughout your years at UP. Just last year, The Beacon’s photography team helped cover a fire in the parking lot, the Villa Maria Hall flood, the Providence nursing strike, the Fred Meyer strike and many more events. These stories, and subsequent photos, affect our campus and students directly. These photos illustrate the stories you are reading about. Rather than being detached from them, you can gain a better understanding of what is happening.
So how does this affect you, the reader? I urge us all to pay attention to the photos we come across in the coming weeks, months and even years. Be careful with the sources you look at, watch for the signs of deceiving photos and most importantly: don’t look away.
Photos are one way of seeing into new worlds, cultures and stories. Don’t look away from the war-torn footage overseas. Don’t look away from the protest photos coming out of Washington, D.C.
And don’t look away from some of the most local stories you can consume, including the on-campus coverage that we provide here at The Beacon.
For students, The Beacon is your voice and our photography team is your eyes. So please, don’t look away.
Natalie Gordon is the Multimedia Editor for The Beacon. She can be reached at gordonn26@up.edu
