[Had enough of PALLYWOOD recently? Check out the Jenin branch] All the World's a Stage

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Sunday, June 18 2006

All the World's a Stage

JENIN, -: A Palestinian woman looks at a militant from the Islamic Jihad as he holds his weapon after an Israeli military incursion in the northern West Bank city of Jenin 01 June 2006. Two soldiers were injured in Jenin, one lightly and the other lightly to moderately, from an explosive charge that was detonated against an IDF jeep according to Israeli radio reports. SAIF DAHLAH/AFP/Getty Images

After explaining why he believes the gunman was hamming it up for the camera, Zoran Bozicevic, a National Post associate photo editor with combat photography experience discusses an eye-opening problem for photo editors and readers:

With the rise of digital photography, barriers to entry fell in the profession: Anyone could call himself a photojournalist, pick up a camera, and e-mail photos to editors around the world. The cost-cutting media increasingly relies on these cheap, sometimes unscrupulous, local stringers. In some cases, they flout professional objectivity, and take sides in the conflict they cover. In other cases, they stage pictures to keep employers happy. Or worse, they manipulate digital pictures after the fact, turning a photo into a work of fiction.