Photojournalist discusses subjectivity of the media

By: Julie Grieco
Posted In: News

Alyx Kellington, a retired combat photojournalist, spoke at Salve Regina on March 23, in Rodgers Recreation Conference Room about the role of the media in today’s society and her experiences on the front line.

Kellington, a widely recognized photographer whose work has been published in the New York Times, the L. A. Times, Newsweek, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe, has resided in third-world countries including Haiti, El Salvador, and Mexico. She has used her images as a tool to “expose the wrongs of the world.”

Her inspiration to become such an avid advocate on the injustices of war originated from being raised on a military homefront. After recognizing her calling, she graduated from the New England School of Photography in 1988 and moved to El Salvador for her first assignment as an embedded photojournalist. Her career continued to expand and she has used her photographs as a voice for those who weren’t able to use their own.

One of the largest challenges, aside from surviving, was having the images she captured presented as she wanted them. Kellington posed the question, “Who decides what is news?” and brought to the audience’s attention that what the public sees in the media has been, in a majority of the cases, “actually happening for years.” The media has a way of only publicizing what they feel is relevant and popular, according to Kellington.

“Someone may not want you photographing the truth,” Kellington said. Too often, the bravery that is instilled in our photographers is overlooked and the elaborate measures that have to be taken merely to illustrate reality.

Kellington made her message clear.

“Know the source of your information and seek a variety of resources to collaborate a position on a topic,” she advised.

Her frustrations with the subjectivity of the media, along with a family complication, ended her career as a payroll journalist. Nevertheless, she continues to do freelance photography in Latin America for volunteer organizations and she has visited many colleges speaking on behalf of her experiences and advocating awareness.

Dr. Shirley Girard, professor of the Understanding the Media course at Salve, encouraged her students to attend. “The firsthand perspective was fascinating,” Girard said, and she showed her respect for Kellington’s “commitment in bringing the truth to the world.”

Amongst the twenty-four people in attendance was senior Rachel Gill, a communications major, who felt that the lecture reinforced her point of view. “If you are going to buy a pair of shoes, you would go to three or four different stores to find the best price, yet when it comes to the media, the closest available source is too often the one we reach for,” Gill said.

She feels that today’s media is predisposed toward outlining an agenda and hopes that “wherever I work, they won’t be more worried about ratings than exposing the truth.”