The communicative role of imagery is fundamental in the context of war. Although war photography is a core element of news coverage, the public often knows little about visual media framing and is, therefore, less aware of the power of the image. Grace Lily Broad uses photographs of the war in Ukraine to argue that photographs don’t simply capture a moment in time; they also relay visual messages, which can directly influence public opinion.
Photojournalism: a prized medium
The visual coverage of the Ukraine conflict has carried messages of civilian casualty and destruction, demonstrating the human cost of war. My recent research, observing The Independent’s visual coverage of the Bucha massacres during spring 2022, highlights the new priority to convey the consequential details of war in British media. This contrasts with the prior tendency to frame such imagery in a militaristic manner. Past research suggests that throughout the 21st century, Western media coverage has largely promoted biased representations of conflict, which mirror military or government interests. As such, the use of war photography could be considered akin to a propaganda tool, with the potential to conceal messages of military affiliation within media coverage. Evidence of this has been found in published war photography in the United States during the censored coverage of the Vietnam War and the First Gulf War. Similar patterns are visible within British news coverage, particularly during the Second World War, the Falklands War, and, more recently, the Afghanistan conflict. Common features of prior war coverage are the photographs of weaponry and soldiers, transporting symbolic images of power, and thereby linking stories of war with conservative values.
With the battle for sovereignty between Russia and Ukraine, and its wider implications for Western states, it felt imperative to revisit these media tropes and assess their visibility during ongoing conflict. Juxtaposing the hawkish narrative often attached to this imagery, photographs of the destruction in Ukraine have taken a documentary approach. This establishes the changing application of war photography today; its framing capacity no longer entrenched with symbolic ideas of power. The recent publication of photographs within The Independent instead signals a detached and documentary-like approach to war coverage.
Seeing the Ukraine conflict
My research focuses on one significant and horrific episode during the ongoing war: the atrocities committed by Russian forces in Bucha and surrounding towns, which generated abundant media coverage during spring 2022, increasing the framing potential of media outlets and their ability to shape opinion. The decision to focus on The Independent’s visual coverage is linked with its image-led quality, as it was integral to analyse a news outlet consistent in its publication of photography. Compared with alternative online outlets, such as BBC News and The Guardian, The Independent coverage of the Bucha massacres was accompanied by multiple images per article, largely sourced from AP or AFP agencies. Looking at The Independent’s news reporting between 31 March to 7 April 2022, this research has analysed 104 photographs in articles reporting on the current Ukraine conflict systematically sampled from the Lexis+ UK news archive.
My research examined the images using three dimensions: 1) Motive, 2) Colour, and 3) Perspective. Motive addressed the main content of the image, such as soldiers and weaponry versus civilians, deaths, and destruction. Colour distinguished black-and-white from any coloured images. Perspective considered the placement of the pictured motives, especially whether an object was presented in the image’s foreground or background.
The final image in this article (captioned “Cemetery workers unload bodies of killed civilians from a van in the cemetery in Bucha”) exemplifies how each visual dimension (Motive, Colour, Perspective) is applied to The Independent images. The primary motive is the subject of death and casualties, pictured by the body bags of dead civilians in Ukraine. The photograph is clearly published in colour, showcased by its surrounding environment. The placement of the body bags is visible in the immediate foreground, grounding the image’s perspective.
Shifting narratives
The results of this study complement previous research but suggest shifting narratives. While militaristic power was the dominant theme of published photography capturing the Vietnam War, First Gulf War, and Afghanistan conflict, which consistently displayed weaponry and soldiers in prominent perspectives, photographs from The Independent mostly pictured Ukrainian civilians amongst a variety of other motives. This included human casualties, material destruction, and also political leaders. Most photographs were captured using a foreground perspective, displaying the need to share these motives front and centre.
While past war photography was historically shot in black-and-white, all photographs from The Independent appeared in colour. This may not be surprising, considering the prominence of colour images in a digitalised world. The changing application of war photography coincides with the invention and expansion of the internet and digital resources. Breaking news is communicated quickly, feeding updates and digital imagery via screens. The instantaneous nature of news reporting indicates the wider prevalence of colour photography.
Overall, war photography remains an integral component of news coverage today. However, there appears a greater effort to provide evidence of wartime events throughout contemporary reporting. This is underlined by the increased use of coloured images, changing motives, and the direct use of perspective. As my research makes visible, imagery frames of the conflict emphasise human suffering with photographs largely depicting the death and damage inflicted upon Ukrainian civilians by armed Russian forces. As such, the focus of news consumers is drawn towards the literal effects of war, as opposed to its potential outcomes. The first image in this article clearly transmits this narrative.
The visibility of Ukrainian civilians and the consequences of war present the opportunity to engage empathy in media consumers. By acknowledging war through the perspective of its victims, audiences may be encouraged to think differently about conflict. The political context of the war in Ukraine and its association with Western democracy suggests the application of war photography, a seemingly neutral communication tool, is, in fact, political. As media outlets maintain the choice to promote either propagandistic or documentary frames, they determine which realities of war are conveyed.
The news reporting of The Independent makes clear that the framing of violent conflict does not always promote military power. We cannot assume a documentary frame is applied to all contemporary war coverage. It would be informative to address the visual coverage of an array of global conflicts, particularly events beyond the Western region, to consider how media outlets want consumers to interpret specific conflict.
Contrasting prior news coverage, the documentary nature of photographs featured in The Independent displays a more democratic mode of news reporting. The militaristic frames identified within prior research might be linked with the higher levels of media censorship evident during conflicts gone by. In publishing such graphic and emotive content, as pictured in the lead image in this article, The Independent displays a level of reporting detached from the militaristic agenda; this perspective more autonomous than before.
Implications
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is charged by decades of political history. The fight for Ukrainian autonomy and identity is visible throughout published photography. Although the UK has supported Ukraine throughout this conflict, the state’s outsider role may have guided the documentary frame visible throughout media coverage. Nonetheless, photographic evidence of the crimes committed in Bucha, published by sources such as The Independent, could be considered influential when observing the high levels of citizen support in favour of strict financial sanctions against Russia during this period.
As this research observed the framing powers of an independent media source, this throws into question how popular or government-affiliated titles might frame this conflict. The Independent does not encompass the full spectrum of UK coverage, providing room for future research to consider the framing powers of contemporary media through photographs and beyond.
Although they say beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, the power of the image works beyond the lens.
This post gives the views of the author and not the position of the Media@LSE blog, nor of the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Featured image: Photo by Tina Hartung on Unsplash
