Abstract
Using The Philadelphia Inquirer as a case study, this article examines the visual behaviors of news professionals as they pertain to the importance and function of the social construction of news photos. The author posits the concept of the photographic principle to explain the process by which news professionals maintain photographic integrity—especially given the latest technology and its potential for misuse in constructing news photos. The photographic principle is defined as the guiding standard photo editors use to preserve the inherent value of news photographs. As the article shows, photo editors at the Inquirer provided the model on which the author based the concept of the photographic principle—a positive example of news workers who strive to protect the veracity of news photos.