Penulis Koresponden: Putu
Lirishati Soethama
Email: [email protected]
INTRODUCTION
Photojournalism
first appeared on Monday, April 16, 1877, in the daily newspaper The Daily
Graphic, New York (Leonardi & Natale,
2018). The image was published on the first page and was news about a hotel and a
saloon fire. This publication was the first milestone in photojournalism in
print media, which was still in the form of sketches (Thomson, 2019). Photojournalism also developed into an era of modern
photojournalism, the Golden Age, 1930-1950, showing its existence. Several
publications promoting photojournalism include The Daily Mirror, The New York
Daily News, Sports Illustrated, and LIFE (Langton, 2019). Photojournalism is synonymous with Henri Cartier
Bresson and his candid and documentary photo style. Until Magnum appeared in
1947, it was the first news photo agency to provide journalistic photos from
various parts of the world (Gervais & Morel,
2020). In Indonesia, photography entered in 1841, and the
history of photojournalism was represented by the Domei News Agency, the Asia
Raya newspaper, and the photo agency Indonesia Press Photo Service (IPPhoS)
(Nordstrom, 2001).
Photojournalism
connects people worldwide through images. Kenneth Kobre, a professor who leads
the Photojournalism department at San Francisco State University, in his book
Photojournalism: The Professionals' Approach, emphasizes that photojournalism
does not only complement the news in an essay as an illustration or decoration
to fill the grey areas of a page (Lewandowski, 2022). Today, photojournalism is the best tool to concisely
and effectively report human events. Marry Warner Marrien, in her book
Photography and Its Critics, states that the effect of photography for which it
was praised was not visual but social (Marien, 2021). Oscar Motuloh, founder of the Antara Photojournalism
Gallery, quoted Wilson Hick, former LIFE photo editor from the book Words and
Pictures, explaining that photojournalism is a communication medium that
combines verbal and visual elements. This verbal element is described in the
caption. Captions function to complete the information in an image because a
photo without captions can lose its meaning (Lebret et al., 2015).
In simple terms,
journalistic photos are photos with news value or photos that interest certain
readers, and the information is conveyed to the public as briefly as possible (Gursel, 2016). Photojournalism is irreplaceable. Exposure to videos
that flood the online world has not disturbed the power of photos.
Photojournalism does not tell minute-by-minute events but is a two-dimensional
recording that contains the elements required by readers to understand the
entire incident (Treske, 2015). It stops time and gives us a real look at how time
shapes history. With its documentary nature, photojournalism can make people
look back at recorded images of what they have done and raise questions about
what will happen in the future (Newton, 2013). Photojournalism helps people understand their
environment and themselves, including identifying the things they should be
wary of (Thomson & Greenwood, 2017).
The advantage of
photojournalism over other media for conveying information is that it can
overcome human limitations in letters and words (Langton, 2019). An important aspect of a journalistic photo is that it
contains elements of fact, is informative, and can tell a story. Even so, technical
beauty and art add value to photojournalism. The things around us or human
daily activities are interesting to report (Hunter & Csikszentmihalyi, 2003).
A caption is
accompanying text for journalistic photos. Fred S. Parrish, in his book
Photojournalism: An Introduction (2001), states that captions help direct the
perspective of a photo and explain detailed information that is not in the
image, is confusing, or is unclear (Isaacs, 2013). Bresson also said that captions should not repeat
information already in the image. Larry Burrow, a photojournalist for LIFE
magazine who died in Vietnam, also stated that written information and images
were equally important to him. Captions can sometimes lead the eye to look at a
photo again. He exhales to liven up the photo by giving depth to the event. He
reconciles photos with their context and helps readers understand the story
behind the photo.
It cannot be denied
that there are so many national and international photojournalistic works that
awaken humanism and provide new understanding and perspectives on history and
events. One of the many awards for photojournalistic work is the Pulitzer Prize
Award. The Pulitzer Prize is considered the highest award for print journalism
in the United States. This award was also given for achievements in literature
and music, first awarded on June 4, 1917, and continues every year with the
winner's announcement every April.
The recipients of
this award are selected by an independent body officially regulated in the
United States. The award was created by Joseph Pulitzer, a Hungarian American
journalist and newspaper publisher, in the late 19th century. Awards are given
in categories related to journalism, arts, and letters. To be eligible for this
journalism award, only published reports and photographs produced by newspapers
or daily news organizations based in the United States are considered. This
award is given in the categories of Books, Drama, Music, and Journalism. The
Books, Drama, and Music categories are divided into seven sub-categories:
Fiction, Drama, History, Biography, Poetry, General Nonfiction and Music. For
the Journalism category, there are 15 sub-categories, namely: Public service,
Breaking News Reporting, Investigative Reporting, Explanatory Reporting, Local
Reporting, National Reporting, International Reporting, Feature Writing,
Commentary, Criticism, Editorial Writing, Editorial Cartooning, Breaking News Photography,
Feature Photography, and Audio Reporting. In this research, we will use a
sub-category from the field of journalism, Breaking News Photography.
The Pulitzer Prize
Breaking News Photography is part of the annual international award Pulitzer
Prize in journalism. It continues the Pulitzer Prize Spot News Photography,
awarded from 1968 to 1999. Starting from the second millennium in 2000, the
name of this award was changed to the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News
Photography.
Thousands of
photojournalists worldwide compete to take part and win. Moreover, with
Indonesia's entry into the international global world, various other
international associations, and Indonesia, becoming a developed country,
Indonesia must better prepare itself to understand and take part in the
international world. In this section, Udayana University English Literature
participates in the challenge of the need for foreign language (English)
Journalism Writers. By presenting the English for Journalism course,
seventh-semester English Literature students who have been given Basic and
Advanced English courses (Basic � Advanced Speaking, Writing, Reading, and
Listening) are given additional abilities to use their basic and advanced
skills in English. Journalism and writing to be better prepared to enter a
competitive world of work and produce the best quality journalistic writing.
However, providing
graduates who can write news and present photojournalism is insufficient. These
graduates must be accompanied by the best qualities that exist for each
graduate. Therefore, the basic question that arises is, what is the
understanding of English Literature Semester VII students who are given English
for Journalism lectures on the results of photojournalism winners of the
Pulitzer Prize Breaking News Photography from 2015-2020 and the implementation
of their analysis into each individual's photojournalistic work? Is there any development
in their photojournalistic work before analyzing Pulitzer Prize winners
compared with after analyzing them?
Sixty students were
given journalistic photos that won the Pulitzer Prize Breaking News Photography
for the 2015-2020 period to analyze the suitability of the photo and caption.
Previously, they were assigned the assignment of looking for events and capturing
and producing journalistic photos. Following extensive analysis of Pulitzer
Prize-winning photojournalism, 60 students were assigned to identify and
capture events through photography, accompanied by descriptive captions. These
creations were subsequently shared on their respective Instagram accounts.
The aim of this
research is to understand and analyze the recent Pulitzer Prize-winning
breaking news photography's impact on intensifying student photojournalism. The
benefits of this study are to provide in-depth insights into the effects of
recent Pulitzer Prize-winning breaking news photography on intensifying student
photojournalism. This can enhance awareness of the importance and relevance of
photojournalism in the current digital information era. The findings of the
research analysis can be utilized to improve the curriculum and teaching
methods in the field of photojournalism. Consequently, the quality of education
in this field can be enhanced, offering direct benefits to students interested
in journalism.
METHOD
The
method used in this study is qualitative. The population refers to the entire
group of people, events, or objects that are the focus of the researcher's
attention for examination (Sudaryono, 2017) , with the population consisting of students from
the English Literature Department, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Udayana
University. The sample of this study is 60 seventh-semester English Literature
students who take the English for Journalism course, using cluster sampling.
Data was collected through observation method, where seventh-semester English
Literature students taking the English for Journalism course were asked to
analyze and understand Pulitzer Prize-winning journalistic photos from the past
five years (2015-2020). They were tasked to search for news photos, provide
suitable captions or short news, and upload them to the Instagram pages English
Journalism Account - englishforjournalism_d and English Journalism Class C -
englishjournalismc. Data analysis was conducted using a qualitative approach,
focusing on students' ability to comprehend and analyze journalistic photos.
Students were asked to assess the suitability of the photo and caption with the
5 W 1 H elements (What, When, Where, Who, Why, and How). After analyzing the
Pulitzer Prize-winning photos, they were asked to search for news photos again,
provide suitable captions or short texts, and re-upload them to Instagram.
Through these stages, the study aims to evaluate the extent of students'
understanding of Pulitzer Prize-winning photos for Breaking News Photography
and its potential application in improving their photojournalism skills.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
�� Two Instagram accounts are used as media to
present student photojournalism results: the English Journalism C Class
Instagram Account - englishjournalismc and the English Journalism D Class
Instagram Instagram Account - englishforjournalism_d. On the English journalism
Instagram account, there are 54 journalistic photo results from English for
Journalism C Class students, which are divided into 27 photos before being
awarded the journalistic photo that won the Pulitzer Prize
to analyze the content of the
journalistic sentence structure and the other 27 are the results of
photojournalism from English for Journalism C Class students after analyzing
the results of photojournalism that won the Pulitzer Prize. Likewise, on the
Instagram account englishforjournalism_d, which English runs for Journalism D
Class students, there are 48 student journalistic photo results which are
divided into 24 journalistic photos before being given the task of analyzing
journalistic photos that won the Pulitzer Prize and 24 student journalistic
photos after carrying out the analysis.
A total of 51 photos were taken before
analyzing the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalistic photos and 51 after analyzing
them; the researchers took a sample of 30% of the data for each treatment,
namely 15 photos before and after analyzing the Pulitzer Prize photos. The
results of this analysis will review the impact of its implementation on
students' photojournalistic work, what changes have occurred in their ability
to produce photojournalistic results, and developments in the structure of
caption writing. In this report, only seven photos will be displayed out of 15.
Photo and caption before analyzing Pulitzer Prize-Winner Photos:
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Figure
1. Nikodemus Rangga
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Figure
2. Wayan Pradnya Waisnawa
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Figure
3. Febitha Vidyadari
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Figure
4. Fiqi Ari Pradana
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Photo
5. Jodie Butler
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Figure
6. Sundari Okasunu
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Figure
7. Desi Ramayanti
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Pulitzer
Prize Photo Analysis 2011-2020:
Figure 8. Mary Chind of The Des Moines
Register
5w+1H
The caption clearly states the rescuer's
name, the place where it was taken, and its condition. It also explains what
happened and corresponds with what the photo depicts.
Caption
This journalist uses a short but
informative caption. The photojournalist tells only what is needed in the
caption as information related to the photo.
Figure 9. Carol Guzy, Nikki Kahn, and Ricky
Carioti of The Washington Post
5w+1H
The caption clearly states the name of
the man who tried to rescue the teacher, the place where the teacher was taken,
and its condition. It provides a complete explanation of what happened and
corresponds with what the photo depicts.
Caption
The
caption used to provide a more specific explanation of what the photo depicts
is quite short, but interestingly, the photojournalist tends to make sure the
reader knows the condition by mentioning, "he crawls past a schoolgirl
that perished at her desk when Ecole St. Gerard collapsed" in the caption
so we wouldn't misunderstand the person in it.
Figure 10. Massound Hossaini of Agence
France-Presse
5w+1H
The photojournalist provides complete
information about when it happened, who the girl screaming in the photo, how
old she is, what happened in that condition, and how the worst feels presented
very clearly through the caption and the photo.
Caption
Among all the winners, this photo is the
only photo with a very long caption where it corresponds with the content
presented in the photo. It is quite complex because this photo tells a
complicated and sad story.
Figure
11. Rodrigo Abd, Manu Brabo, Narciso Contreras, Khalil Hamra,
and Muhammed Muheisen of
Associated Press
5w+1H
There is no specific information about
the father's name and his son's name and age; however, complete information
about the place and the situation felt by the man is provided. The reason for
his son's death, the date, and the situation are clearly informed.
Caption
The caption, which provides a more
specific explanation of what the photo depicts, is quite short yet informative.
Figure 12. Tyler Hicks of The New York Times
5w+1H
There is no
specific information about who is the woman with kids in the photo and when it
happened. However, the caption provides information about the place and the
amount of killed people there. The photojournalist also inputs the feelings
toward the situation.
Caption
The photojournalist does not tell more than what is needed in the
caption as information related to the photo.
Figure 13. Photography Staff of St. Louis
Post-Dispatch
5w+1H
There is clear information about the
reason for the protest and the man's name in the photo. It also has the place
taken and the situation. However, it is not clear enough when it happens but
just the time set from the photo, at night.
Caption
The caption is a short yet quite
informative caption that is being used in this photojournalism.
Figure 14. Mauricio Lima, Sergey Ponomarev,
Tyler Hicks
�and
Daniel Etter of The New York Times
5w+1H
It clearly informs about the migrants in
the frame and where they come from, so this caption is informative. Moreover,
it provides a specific number of people and reasons for them to be in the sea
and run away.
Caption
This journalist uses a short but
informative caption. The photojournalist tells only what is needed in the
caption as information related to the photo.
Figure 15. Daniel Berehulak, freelance
photographer
5w+1H
This is the complete caption because it
provides everything we are concerned about when we see the photo and the unsure
of journalism like chronologically arranged into a caption.
Caption
Informative, and the arrangement of information in the
caption is well.
Figure 16. Ryan Kelly of The Daily Progress,
Charlottesville, Va.
5w+1H
The caption provides good chronological
information about what is happening in the photo since the photo is very
complex. It is normal for this photo to have no specific name because the
photojournalist tries to capture the situation seen from the information about
what is happening and represents in the photo that "A vehicle plows into a
group of protesters." This caption also mentions the specific place and
reasons for this mass.
Caption
This journalist uses a short but informative kind of
caption.
Figure 17. Photography Staff of Reuters
5w+1H
This photo presents unique information
because the subject is the rooster, and it provides specific information on the
place and the age of the boy present.
Caption
Without a long caption, the amount of
the caption already fits the information because the photo has already sent
every message that the photojournalist wants to share.
Photo and caption after analyzing Pulitzer Prize-Winner
Photos
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Figure
18. Nikodemus Rangga
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Fiigure
19. Wayan Pradnya Waisnawa
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Figure
20. Febitha Vidyadari
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Figure
21. Fiqi Ari Pradana
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Figure
22. Jodie Butler
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Figure
23. Sundari Okasunu
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Figure
24. Desi Ramayanti
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CONCLUSION
Providing Pulitzer Prize-winning photo
analysis activities shows increased student photojournalism results, along with
captions written to explain the events in the photos. The angle at which photos
are taken becomes more creative, interesting, and authentic. The photo captions
become sharper and sharper. Students' journalistic photos that are full of
value and content and are displayed clearly on social and electronic media will
make it easier for journalism subject teachers to understand better students'
journalistic abilities and the activities that can be carried out to stimulate
growth and improve their abilities. The Semester Learning Plan can be adjusted
to demonstrate better the need for skills that need to be improved and enhanced
to produce results in the form of a journalist profession with superior
abilities, integrity, and honesty. Stakeholders need resources such as these
and are ready to be provided by carrying out clearly stated activities.
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