Photographs play a crucial role in shaping our world. They provide insight into historical events and help us understand the impact of natural disasters. This holds true for politics and elections as well. With voting underway in three states in America, the presidential race between Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump is in full swing. Alongside the heated debates, images are now playing a pivotal role in shaping the perspective of one of the most important elections in US history. Let’s explore how incorporating photography and transparency can have a lasting impact on each campaign.
The Lack of Photography And The First Amendment
Just last week, Kamala Harris has been accused of limiting the access to press photographers. The report, first appearing in The Washington Post, reveals how the number of journalists has been reduced to nine, which was initially 13. This letter was sent by Harris’ staffers, as well as the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association. But it is not only journalists that suffer the brunt. Photographers, too, have from a total of four individuals to one.
Considering this is the first election in which a woman of color is running for president, it’s natural that people would want more access to the candidate. To understand the situation better, we reached out to multiple news photographers. However, of the six, only one responded: Gretchen Robinette. The photojournalist has worked with multiple renowned publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, Rolling Stone, and Conde Nast, amongst others. We’ve also interviewed her on several occasions.
In an email conversation, Robinette notes how this move is a major disadvantage to Harris. “The Harris campaign restricting media access leading up to the election has the potential to elicit a lack of trust, something Harris cannot afford to lose at a time when she is still building that trust with the public,” she notes. Considering how people need complete access to the nominees who will run the country for the next five years, it’s important that many photographers from various publications can depict the truth. Furthermore, Robinette also notes that the press restriction could be considered breaching the law. “The First Amendment states that Congress cannot make laws that restrict freedom of the press, and by reducing the numbers of the press pool, this is, in essence, a violation of the Freedom of The Press,” she adds.
In addition, Trump’s media coverage is also gaining traction, which means Harris is fighting the battle on multiple fronts. “Trump is not restricting press access or limiting the number of interviews. This fact alone leaves me wondering what she is trying to hide, and that’s not a positive feeling to offer the public at such a crucial time in political history,” explains Gretchen.
Trump’s AI Political Images Are More Than Mere Jokes
A few weeks before Harris’ report, Trump began to utilize AI-generated images of his contender to push his agenda forward. While Harris’s team has been using memes and original photographs, Trump and his followers are playing a tricky but dirty game. Even the AI-generated memes that have been shared by Republicans promote racist messages, which are a way to reiterate Trump’s political policy for the future.
In a report by The Associated Press, sociologist Francesca Tripodi at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill notes how AI photography is often a tool that shapes anti-immigration narratives. “When you have elected officials who are utilizing this imagery as a way of perpetuating racism and xenophobia, that’s a huge problem,” she told The AP.
As social media plays an essential role in controlling political narratives and helping people choose who to vote for, it becomes increasingly imperative that the presidential nominees play by the rules. Photography, in every way, is critical to the very fabric of our democracy; it is sometimes even stronger than words. So, if Kamala has such an instrument at her disposal, she must do it with all her might if she hopes to win the audience over. If anything, photographs coming out of Trump’s attempted assassination demonstrate how powerful visuals are. A little understanding and respect for the masses is something that can go a long way. And sometimes, photography can do that for you in mere seconds.