We live in a world of upheaval and uncertainty. In a world where fake and fact are becoming increasingly blurred. People believe their eyes less and less and increasingly doubt the truthfulness of photos in newspapers, magazines, on websites and on social media channels.
How are we supposed to get a proper picture of the world if we can no longer believe what we see? What happens when fake images are deliberately used in a misleading way or real photos are discredited as fakes? For example, to influence political decisions?
If the credibility of photos and thus of the media as a whole erodes, the social system also begins to shake.
When we can no longer trust our eyes, …
we need reliable and independent institutions which check the credibility of images and texts.
Photojournalism and media literacy
for an informed society
Why is this so important right now?
“Alternative facts” dominate the debates. Public media are in a state of transformation. Privately organized journalism is less and less able to fulfill its information and control role, while social media companies are becoming increasingly powerful. Algorithms and artificial intelligence are shaping public opinion, largely without any comprehensible ethical or editorial standards. This is a threat to social cohesion.
If critical journalism and therefore also photojournalism increasingly lose their control function as the so-called “Vierte Gewalt”, our democracy will also crumble.
We want to prevent that.
Taking a stand and breaking new ground
Photojournalism as one of the pillars of press freedom is an elementary component of democracy. Authentic photography is systemically relevant.
For laif, every photo is a contribution to credible journalism, every photo is an expression of attitude.
We are united by a humanistic world view in which people, regardless of age, health, origin, identity, culture, sexual orientation, religion and world view, treat each other openly and honestly, critically and self-critically, collaboratively and sustainably.
Today, the laif community is a home where you can take responsibility and contribute to a better society.
To this end, we have established the non-profit laif foundation and are committed to independent and transparent journalistic services that are oriented towards the common good. This makes us a real pathfinder in photojournalism. And because the more we are, the more we can achieve, we are working towards this goal with more than 250 colleagues under one roof. We work together with CORRECTIV, Reporters Without Borders, Good News, Netzwerk Recherche and many others in “Publix”, a worldwide unique journalism and innovation project of the Schöpflin Foundation which goal is to strengthen the media role.
In our work as photojournalists, we focus on three fields of activity:
Media Literacy
We use the medium of photography to inspire young people in particular with motivating competitions, project days and workshops. In this way, we promote media literacy and arouse interest in critical media reflection and news evaluation.
Photojournalism
We want to use the visual power of photography to help shape the future in a journalistic and constructive way.
In our areas of focus, we develop our own formats and, through collaborations, initiate new projects.
For example, with live photo events, exhibitions or book projects that we implement together with partners such as Reporters Without Borders, the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung or the ZEIT Bucerius Foundation.
Seal of authenticity
On the basis of a voluntary journalistic commitment, we are working together with other institutions on a seal for the verifiable authenticity of visual media.
And to support the development of technological standards at the same time, laif is also a member of the international “Content Authenticity Initiative”, which was founded in 2022 by the New York Times togehter with Adobe and Twitter.
Opening up perspectives
laif photographers tell stories with their photos! Stories that are exciting, profound, truthful, irritating or entertaining. Stories that arouse interest on different topics, question the status quo, show new perspectives and facilitate dialogs. The photos at the bottom of this page show some of them.
As a foundation, we build upon this potential. Through our projects, we aim to emotionally engage new target audiences with socially relevant topics using photography, and to help our collaborative partners effectively communicate and implement their values and goals.
We focus on three main topics:
Talk to us
Would you like to support our work with your company through transparent and responsible sponsorship or would you like to support a specific topic or project as a foundation?
Then your contribution will have a double effect. One for the society and one for your own company.
There are many interesting ways in which you can effectively reach more people together with us.
Be part of it.
Feel free to contact us directly.
Ulf Schmidt-Funke
+49 40 430 91 437
partner@laif-foundation.org
