NPPA warns against government photo manipulation and reaffirms commitment to visual integrity

ATHENS, Ga. – The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) today reiterated its firm opposition to the manipulation of journalistic images that mislead the public, particularly when such manipulation is conducted or disseminated by government entities. This position follows broad media reporting that an official White House social media account posted a digitally altered image of an arrested Minnesota protester to portray her as crying, a depiction not supported by the original unaltered photograph.

According to those reports, on Jan. 22, 2026, the White House posted a photo to its official X account showing attorney and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong, who had been taken into custody in connection with a protest in St. Paul, Minnesota. A previously published version of the same arrest photo showed Armstrong with a neutral expression; the version shared by the White House made her appear distressed and crying. The alteration was widely identified by users and the media as digitally manipulated, drawing criticism from news organizations and digital forensics experts.

NPPA asserts that accuracy and truthfulness are core to the credibility of visual reporting. NPPA's Code of Ethics states that the content of a photograph must not be altered in any way that deceives the public. The integrity of photographic images is essential to public trust and to the historical record. Altering editorial content for any purpose that misrepresents subjects or events undermines that trust and is incompatible with professional practice.

NPPA’s opposition to such practices is rooted in foundational principles that guide visual journalism and distinguish it from propaganda or doctored imagery. As a founding member of Writing With Light, a global initiative that explicitly declares that “neither alterations to a photograph that mislead the public, nor staging events while depicting them as spontaneous, are acceptable in journalism. Nor should one publish a photorealistic synthetic image made by artificial intelligence and pretend that it is an actual photograph.”

NPPA statement on photo manipulation and government use of imagery

The National Press Photographers Association emphatically opposes the manipulation of journalistic imagery that misleads the public. Visual accuracy is fundamental to photojournalism’s role in informing the public and preserving the historical record. Alterations that change the substance of a scene, distort context, or convey a false impression, especially when distributed by official government channels, violate the basic ethical standards of our profession and weaken public trust in visual media. This is especially true during a time when the government dismisses truthful images as “fake news.” We call on all public officials and institutions to uphold the highest standards of visual integrity and reaffirm our commitment to educating, advocating, and enforcing ethical practices for photographers and visual journalists everywhere.

NPPA will continue to work with partners in the journalism and press freedom community to reinforce ethical standards, provide training and resources for professionals, and resist efforts to normalize manipulated imagery in public discourse.