Several news feeds now say that Reuters will no longer accept edited Raw files from freelance photographers.
A Reuters spokesperson spoke with PetaPixel, saying that the aim of the new policy is to increase speed in getting photos from the camera to client, as well as to maintain a high ethical standard. Reuters’ Photographer’s Handbook details which edits may and may not be applied by photographer. The list of acceptable adjustments includes cropping (as long as journalistic integrity is maintained), minor use of levels and curves adjustments, minor brightness and contrast adjustments, and downsizing photos to fit 3500 pixels longest edge. We’ve reached out to Reuters for clarification, specifically regarding the reported ban on images created from Raw files which – on the face of it – doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense.
Dosen’ really make sense to me too. Editing (already edited) jpgs is a bad idea and does not prevent cheating.