Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words?

By Annie Grace

Purpose of the Research

The purpose of my research was to investigate the effects of visual images as a way to tell stories about global war and terrorism. The main question I asked was: Is a picture worth a thousand words? If so, why?

Data Collection Methods

To gather answers to my research question, I used three sources. First, I interviewed Stella Johnson, a well-known photojournalist who is based in Boston. She was trained in photography at the San Francisco Art Institute and earned a degree in journalism at Boston University. Along with teaching classes at Tufts University, Ms. Johnson works in various parts of the U.S. and travels overseas. In addition, I took a random sample of five Bostonians’ answers to the question, “ Is a picture worth a thousand words to you?” All were adults that I stopped as they walked through the Copley Plaza mall area, which is an upscale shopping and work part of the city. To add to my data, I gathered a sample of what I thought were especially powerful images of war which I found using an internet search.

Results

Interview with Stella Johnson
Ms. Johnson stated that she wants to make a difference with her images. I asked her if she has to sign a contract stating that her work has been unaltered. She replied that she does not have to sign any contract. She also included that she would never crop a picture of hers and that most photographers also do not. When Ms. Johnson was asked if she has ever been to a war zone or has covered any active wars or “hot spots” she said she has never been to any of these, and that she does not do this form of photojournalism because it is not consistent with her temperament. I did learn that photojournalism is a fascinating type of work, and that there are many different routes you can take to tell a story. It seems to me that photographers, in general, feel that a picture is worth a thousand words. Images are a fast way to reach people, and hopefully make a difference by telling them a certain story.


Sample of Bostonians
Of the five people I questioned, four answered that they found images to be more compelling ways to tell the story of war than the written word. One woman said that she if she reads an article that isn’t accompanied by a picture then she has to think of what the image would look like. If she looks at a photo, it stays in her mind more than the words. The one person who did not feel that images were more powerful than words told me that she thought they could be more powerful sometimes, but not always. It depends on the subject, she said.

Personal collection of war images
The images chosen (see attached page) show the horror of war in the world better than any amount of words, in my opinion. The photograph of the firing squad is especially powerful to me. I can’t imagine how someone could write a description of that scene in a way that would show the horror better. You can see the flash of movement as the guns are fired and the prisoners are blown back. There are many written descriptions of war horrors, but they can’t compete with the actual scene itself in black and white. It is not surprising that the photographer won the Pulitzer Prize for this work, even when his identity was not known. His picture sent a strong message around the world. It was a quick but powerful way to tell that story.

Conclusions

All together, the sources of information I used to research my question tell me that pictures are the equal if not worth more than many words in telling the story of global war and terrorism. Here are the reasons for my conclusion. First, written journalism can be faked more easily than actual pictures. It is true that photographs can be “staged”, but it seems to be easier to cheat and get away with it in writing than pictures. For example, it would be difficult to stage the picture of the firing squad, because the people, the place, and the action are so specific. With pictures it is different. Connected to this idea, Stella Johnson said that she would never alter one of her pictures. It seems that photojournalists are very serious about telling the truth through their pictures.
Second, pictures are easier to get meaning from than words for many people. I’m referring to people who do not or cannot read for whatever reason. The Bostonians I interviewed made this clear. Photographs reach everyone, regardless of their reading skills.
Third, war pictures are always gruesome. Most of us don’t want to read paragraphs of gruesome words. We stop when the going gets rough. With photographs, though, one glance is enough to get the message. That message says the same thing as a thousand words.