Photo Credit: Visual Impact Inc.
Despite the hype about how technologies are making photography less credible through digital manipulation, it is interesting to note that the practice of retouching images was quite pervasive throughout the 1950s until the 1980s. In fact, some of text books from this period actually demonstrate techniques to remove "distractions" from an image.
Putting this into a more contemporary context, there is no question that digital technologies are far superior in terms of ease of manipulating images, but public awareness as well as appropriate training have made current generations of photojournalists more conscientious as to the implications of digital shenanigans. Despite fears that deception is rampant in the media, it seems that oversight as well as education have contributed to keeping visual communicators more accountable for what they present.