Photojournalists active in the naturist world
have obligations and privileges parallel to those of photojournalists
concentrating on any other subject matter. Fundamentally, we have freedom of
speech and freedom of the press, subject only to libel, to invasion of
privacy, and to editorial policy. In the free world, people have a right to
know facts, and the free press has an obligation to provide same. In communist
countries, and other autocratic regimes of the same ilk, the
dictatorial state does not permit the people to know facts except as screened,
filtered, and twisted around by the censors, providing a false image. Naturist
photojournalism enjoys mostly the same freedom in the western world, and almost
the same restrictions in dictatorial countries. The freedom in the West is
diminished for the naturist press, by socially conservative pressure groups
which attempt to legislate against free expression of naturist ideas. The
oppression in dictatorships of leftist leaning is modified to a certain extent
by the recognition that naturism is not political and therefore does not
represent a threat to the regime.
Naturist photojournalists have a duty to inform the readers, to lay bare (no pun intended) the facts, and present all facts of the subject matter according to their ability, and according to the cooperation received by naturist practitioners, naturist resort and club owners, etc. As idealists, naturist photojournalists also have a duty to propound naturist concepts, naturist ideals, the way they see and understand them, although the presentations may differ between individual writers and photographers, from time to time, and according to context.
The naturist photojournalists thus have freedom to interpret events and situations in the light of their context, and in the way the individual photojournalist perceives them. The interpretations, of course, can go all over the spectrum according to individual backgrounds, inclinations, and intent. No particular interpretation is more “ideologically correct” than another, all interpretations simply being personal expressions by individuals of varied background. The individuals are naturists, are photojournalists, and are representatives of the very people they report on. Their articles and reports as published in naturist periodicals may be agreed or disagreed with, like is the case with articles in the non-naturist press. The freedom to interpret remains squarely with the photojournalist, and the freedom to publish wholly with the naturist editor.
The naturist photojournalist has the duty to tell the truth as perceived, tell the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. The truth shall set us free, and naturists are freedom-loving individuals. Naturists love freedom from clothes, freedom from ultra-conservative restrictions, and freedom to receive sun, air, and water on their bodies in a social context. That is the truth of naturist practice, and naturist photojournalists strive to express these values through pictures and articles. The truth will thus come out.
Naturist photojournalists also have the freedom to entertain their readers, through anecdotes, amusing stories, and interesting topics of all kinds. No newspaper or magazine can keep the readership interested merely by giving facts and figures (no pun). The truth, the facts, the realities of naturism will have to be related in a way to hold the readers' interest after first getting their attention. In other words, except for special columns of news updates, and the occasional current-topic article, most material must have entertainment value. Informative and entertaining, truthful and artistic, those are some key values for naturist publications. Whether the actual output is successful, the readers will evaluate and react upon. Let the people judge, let them vote with their money whether a publication is worthwhile or not. If yes, it will prosper –f not, it will go belly-up. This is the democratic way.
Finally, naturism is an “-ism”, i.e., a life concept with idealistic followers. The naturist photojournalist and his publisher, the naturist editor, are idealists who spend much time, effort, and money to produce the beautiful final images and interesting articles which grace the pages of Clothed with the Sun, Bare in Mind, and all the other naturist publications around the world.
Leif Heilberg
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