WPOW 20-Year Retrospective Exhibition

Role: Member of the Photo Editing and Selection Panel

As part of the 20th anniversary of Women Photojournalists of Washington (WPOW), I served on a small panel of photojournalists tasked with selecting one photograph from each annual show to represent each year of the organization's history. The resulting retrospective exhibition debuted in Washington, D.C., on October 18, 2026, and will travel to 10 universities over the coming year, accompanied by speakers who will engage students in discussions about photography and visual journalism.

The editing process was collaborative and required considerable discussion. Working alongside other experienced photojournalists, we evaluated the strengths of individual photographs, considered how they worked together as an exhibition and discussed which images best represented each year. Much like judging POY or CPOY,, the process involved listening to different perspectives, explaining our choices and finding common ground.

One particularly difficult decision involved the selection for 2024. We were considering two very different photographs. One was a gorgeous, aesthetically compelling image, while the other documented the assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. Anna Moneymaker, a WPOW member, had been on the ground covering the event and captured a photograph showing Trump on the ground, bleeding. We discussed the merits of both images and ultimately agreed that the historical significance and newsworthiness of the assassination attempt outweighed the visual appeal of the other photograph. The decision illustrated an important principle of photo editing: the strongest photograph is not necessarily the most beautiful, but the one that best serves the story.

This collaborative approach is something I would bring to the Missouri News Network. I believe the editing process itself is an important teaching opportunity. Rather than simply editing the work of students, I would encourage them to discuss their selections, explain their reasoning, listen to different perspectives and consider what each image contributes to the story. These conversations help students develop the editorial judgment, confidence and critical thinking skills they will need as working journalists.