Moving pictures

Photojournalism, a genre defined by its ability to bridge distances through the flow of images, is shaped by mutual influence, interaction, cross-cultural interpretation, and collaboration among photographers, spectators, and news institutions. This chapter offers a historical overview of photojournalism’s development from a transnational perspective, examining how news photographs have facilitated connections between individuals and organizations across national boundaries and how social and technological changes have contributed to news photography’s historical development. This chapter focuses on the coverage of wars, political violence, and forced migration, exploring how these strands have shaped news photography practices, established photojournalists as transnational figures, and advanced transnational networks. Additionally, this chapter critically addresses photojournalism’s tendency to depict international events through a Western-centric lens. The study concludes that photographs’ immediate visual impact and their ability to transcend language barriers have made them central to the development of the transnational nature of photojournalism, serving not only as news illustrations but also as crucial elements in visualizing political events.