German Photo-journalists
Should newspaper journalism aspire to be an art-form? German journalists apparently believe it should—part informational digest, geographical or sociological fact-machine, intelligent images, and add to that a literary-language application. German newspapers leave their American counterparts—so caught up in partisan politics—far behind.
In the first example, from Die Welt, the three photos show a moment in time in China, France, and Japan.
1. In the first photo, a female honor-guard in Beijing lines up smartly to greet Governor General Jerry Mateparae from New Zealand. Their pretty, porcelain faces and positive demeanor do not fail to impress, nor does the CO's kindly attention to detail.
2. In the second photo, tribal chiefs from South America wear traditional costume during a climate conference in Paris. Note their use of a camera.
3. In the third photo, the CEO of Toshiba Electronics in Japan resigned from his position after the disclosure that he and his staff juggled the books over the course of several years, misrepresenting Toshiba's profit picture and causing its stock to spiral downward. He stares meekly at a phalanx of flashing cameras.
4. The fourth and fifth photos show how mechanized Japanese society has become—the high-tech toilet. It has everything: self-sanitizing, a warm seat, a bidet, and other options.
5. The last photo shows the lamentable state of the Tokyo commuter, where trains ordinarily fill up to 200% of their capacity. Hundreds of commuters spend their commute with their faces pressed against the window. The average reader feels sympathy for the meek, stoical Tokyoites.
