That Photo Was Not Randomly Chosen

Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Communication Head of Journalism Department Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan stated that the photo used on the front page of today's Financial Times newspaper for the meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Joe Biden is against journalistic ethics.

Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan: ‘The photo used is not compatible with ethical principles’

Experts, stating that the photo used on the front page of today's Financial Times newspaper for the meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Joe Biden is against journalistic ethics, said, ‘This photo shows how journalistic ethics are disregarded.’ Experts, stating that ‘Journalism, first and foremost, requires facts to be conveyed accurately and reflected through visuals,’ warned, ‘Objectivity is not enough in news; it is also essential to be objective in photo selection. Representing a country's leader in a position inferior to another country's leader makes no contribution to readers correctly understanding events.’

It is understood that photo was not chosen randomly

Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan, said, ‘The photo used on the front page of today's Financial Times newspaper for the meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Joe Biden shows how journalistic ethics are disregarded. Why? First of all, a photo is an element that completes and supports the news. It should tell the story. However, the main story of the Financial Times is a general news item regarding the NATO talks. The selected photo has an indirect relationship with the news. Furthermore, it is understood that this photo was not chosen randomly from dozens of photos related to the discussions.’

Photo choices have also been a subject of criticism in the past

Reminding that photo choices regarding leaders' meetings have been a subject of criticism many times in the past, Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan, said, ‘For example, remember the photo of then-Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit with US President Bill Clinton. In that photo, Ecevit was criticized for standing as if bowing subserviently before Clinton. However, Ecevit was only behaving that way out of courtesy.’

It is not possible to accept this

Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan noted that the Financial Times made a poor editorial choice, said, ‘Instead of highlighting an equal relationship between the two countries with the photo, it almost established a sovereign-dependent relationship, symbolically diminishing one country with the photo. This is not acceptable. Journalism, first and foremost, requires facts to be conveyed accurately and reflected through visuals. Objectivity is not enough in news; it is also essential to be objective in photo selection. Representing a country's leader in a position inferior to another country's leader makes no contribution to readers correctly understanding events.’