Visual Rhetoric of Presidential Images: An Analysis of the White House Messaging in Flickr Images
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Received
Published
2018-12-23
2018-12-23
Issue Date
2018-12-23
Abstract
During the Obama administration, there has been exclusion of photojournalists from a
number of events. The White House published the ‘exclusive’ images of these political events
on its Flickr account. For photojournalists on the White House beat, the move to exclude them
is a disruption to their routine. Using Althusser's Ideological State Apparatusand visual rhetoric,
this analysis examines the process of image control in 2013 and interprets offcial photographs
posted by the White House on Flickr, an online public photo-sharing site. This study looks at the potential motivations for this control surrounding modern political images management,
which shaped presidential image and produced presidential legitimacy conveyed in symbol and
meaning. Finally, this paper argues that the effectiveness of ideological management is possible
through creating a reality of simulacrum and offers a valuable adjunct to the traditional analyses
of political communication.
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Visual Rhetoric of Presidential Images: An Analysis of the White House Messaging in Flickr Images. Chinese Journal of Journalism & Communication. 2018, 40(12): 137-143