Photojournalism’s power on display at Auckland’s World Press Photo Exhibition

By Mike Scott

NZ Herald·

25 Jul, 2025 07:06 AM3 mins to read

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Members of the United States Secret Service help Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump off the stage moments after a bullet from a would-be assassin’s gun hit one of his ears during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. Photo / The Washington Post

Donald Trump may dismiss much of the media as “fake news”, but it was the power of images that arguably secured his second presidential term.

When the Republican nominee rose with a bloodied face after the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, photos like Jabin Botsford’s for the Washington Post likely
helped propel him back to the White House.

Botafogo fans celebrate their team’s victory in Rio de Janeiro on November 30, 2024. Photo / André Coelho

Such images are reminders of the abiding power of photojournalism in a world saturated with visual content and the photograph is one of those on show in the World Press Photo Exhibition opening in Auckland this weekend.

According to World Press Photo travelling curator Martha Echevarria, the array of images tells diverse stories ranging from conflict to migration, climate change and the political state of the world – and also the often dangerous efforts photographers undertake to achieve them.