Reconstructing Visual Trust

This research article addresses the reconstruction of visual trust in photojournalism following the AI-driven transformation of the visual information environment. As artificial intelligence and synthetic media technologies have eroded traditional assumptions of indexical credibility, journalism, human rights documentation, and accountability practices face the challenge of sustaining visual trust under conditions of permanent uncertainty.

Drawing on interdisciplinary scholarship in journalism studies, media ethics, visual communication, and evidence theory, the article synthesizes prior analyses of visual testimony, ethical risk, quasi-legal evidentiary use, and AI-related disruption. It advances a normative and professional framework for reconstructing visual trust based on procedural transparency, provenance, verification literacy, institutional governance, and ethical reflexivity.

The study argues that visual trust can no longer be grounded in visual realism or technical detection alone. Instead, trust must be understood as a governed, institutional achievement produced through demonstrable professional standards and accountable processes across the lifecycle of images. By shifting from indexical to procedural trust, the article outlines a resilient model capable of sustaining the evidentiary and social role of photojournalism in the post-AI environment.

The version deposited in Zenodo is presented as a peer-reviewed research article intended to support open academic access, citation, and further interdisciplinary research. The content and analytical structure correspond to the author’s original scholarly contribution and have not been substantively modified.