Can a photojournalist or their editor use photoshop techniques to "enhance " or change a photograph? When is it image correction and when is it undue influence?
IMO, No. Those that are in the business of news reporting are & should stick to reality. Anything beyond the basic levels & curves adjustment would be altering said reality. Unfortunately some photogs are finding this out the hard way. A very close friend of mine who worked for the same newpaper for-ever, was one of these unfortunates. After the picture in question was already in print, was he informed. No warning was issued, nor the option of a penelty offered. Fired on the spot, a lifetime pension & all the benifits (healthcare) that went along with tenure, lost. Sad but true.