The perceived impact of news photographs on public opinion formation

A survey of photojournalists and press photo editors (N = 516) examined the perceived level of impact of graphic photographs on fear of further terrorist attacks, perceptions of the U. S. government, issues of national security and civil liberties, support for military actions in Afghanistan, as well as perceptions of Islam, Arabs, and Muslims. Results reveal visual journalists believe their work can have powerful effects on the public under certain circumstances. Overall, respondents were more likely to rate visuals that ran from 9/11 to be more powerful than visuals that ran from the Afghan War. Further, data analysis offers support for the sociology of news perspective. Findings indicate homogeneous attitudes towards the impact of visual messages on the public.