We all tell stories – some of us, every day. One example is as simple as the way you position your camera when you take a selfie. You can take a selfie from above or below, and each way tells a different story. The position of the camera is important because it changes the viewer’s perspective and reminds them of a certain feeling. Here’s how it works: If a large stranger looks down at you, when you look up at them, your first reaction is probably fear. Looking up at someone can be scary. In contrast, if you look down at a small child, they look harmless and cute. People don’t want their viewers to be scared of them, so they hold their camera up high and point it down at their face. For the viewer of their selfie, they become like the small child: harmless and cute.
Throughout history, people have been telling stories with subtle decisions. One great example of this is a photo of St. Paul’s Cathedral taken during World War II. In 1940, the German Nazis dropped hundreds of bombs on London, lit many houses in flames, and just missed the famous church, St. Paul’s Cathedral. One photographer, Herbert Mason, waited one hour for the smoke to clear to get this shot. Down below, on the left, is the image Herbert Mason took to show the religious monument standing tall even amidst the war. The British newspaper pasted in the whole photo with the headline “War’s Greatest Picture: St. Paul’s Stands Unharmed in the Midst of the Burning City.” On the other side is the completely different way Germans displayed it in their newspaper. Their headline translates to “The City of London is Burning!” Hitler is expressing excitement and happiness for his country because they killed 600 more British people. With a few touch-ups and a crop, he relayed a totally different message than the one the photographer had intended.
Every day we see media, whether it is social media, youtube, newspapers, or TV. The way the writer or editor chooses to display the media and news to you is entirely up to them. They can photoshop, edit or even just crop their photos to tell a completely different story. They can alter their writing to make different facts sound more or less important. They can take one photo and come to opposite conclusions based on how they want you to perceive it.
Has someone led you to a certain opinion through their story? The same facts can be used to reach many different conclusions. Pictures can be stories themselves and it’s difficult to know when you are looking at facts and when you are looking at someone’s opinion.
Do you think you can tell the difference? Next time you are watching the news or looking at social media, think, ‘Am I drawing the conclusion myself based off of facts?’ or ‘Have I adopted the opinion of the author?’ It is not always as simple as fact or fiction.
