Farmer punished for stealing assorted items from students.

 There’s this image floating around with a news headline that reads, “Farmer punished for stealing assorted items from students.” It’s a pretty straightforward photo: a judge’s gavel and a pair of golden scales sitting neatly on a wooden desk. Classic courtroom vibes. At first, you might scroll right past it without thinking twice. But if you pause for a moment, you’ll realize this kind of image actually says a lot—even in what it leaves out.

Let’s start with the basics: yes, the image technically fits the headline. Someone got punished in court, and the gavel and scales are the go-to symbols of justice. So it works. But it’s also very safe and distant. It tells us, “This is about law and order,” but it doesn’t show us anything real about what happened. Who is the farmer? What was stolen? How did the students react? We get none of that.

Emotionally, it doesn’t make you feel much. It’s not shocking or heartwarming. It just feels… official. And maybe that’s the point—to remind us that justice is being served, that the court handled it. But it also kind of shuts down the conversation. It doesn’t make you wonder why the farmer did it, or what led to the theft. Maybe he was desperate. Maybe the students were really shaken. We’ll never know, because the image doesn’t open that door.

And while the photo isn’t misleading or manipulative, it definitely frames the story a certain way. By showing only the tools of justice and none of the people involved, it silently tells us that this is just another case, another crime processed through the system. That removes a lot of the humanity from the situation. It becomes more about procedure than people.

The way the image is styled—centered, clean, warm lighting—makes it feel polished and serious. It does a good job of looking professional. But that professionalism also makes it feel a little cold. It reinforces the idea that this was a simple crime-and-punishment scenario, when in reality, most stories like this are more complicated.

Now, imagine if they had used a different kind of photo—maybe the farmer in court, looking nervous or ashamed. Or students reacting, clearly affected. Or even a shot of the stolen items. That would’ve added real emotion and context. It might have made people feel something—sympathy, anger, curiosity. It could’ve sparked more conversation about the why, not just the what.

Compared to other crime-related images, this one is about as generic as it gets. It’s safe and familiar, which makes sense—editors often choose these kinds of images to avoid controversy. But sometimes, playing it safe also means missing the chance to make people care.

Culturally, this image taps into a shared idea of what justice looks like. We’ve all seen these symbols in movies, news, and even textbooks. They’re meant to give us confidence in the system. But not everyone sees justice the same way. For some, especially those who feel overlooked or mistreated by the system, this image might not feel reassuring—it might just feel distant.

In the end, this image doesn’t do anything “wrong.” It fits the headline, keeps things neutral, and avoids drama. But it also misses the human side of the story. And sometimes, that’s the part that matters most. Because stories like this aren’t just about rules being broken—they’re about people. And the photos we use should reflect that.

BY:TORGBENYA MABEL 

##VisualStorytelling #IVS2025 #UniMACIFT