I have been following this thread with interest, and feel obliged to chime in for the first time. As I see it, the fundamental problem here is the use of the word "integrity" because it is loaded with value judgements. Thus, many of the posts here have implied (or in some cases, said outright) that people who do more post-processing have less integrity. So, of course people get hot under the collar defending themselves! I would prefer to use the term "purist" so that using more or less post-processing makes you less or more of a purist - and, to me anyway, this term is not value-laden but simply describes an individual's personal approach to photography.
Back in my film days, I used to wander around with a Leica taking B&W pictures and fantasizing that I was the new Cartier-Bresson. I did, in fact, get particular satisfaction from images that turned out great without cropping and without any dodging or burning. So, I was a purist - but not in any sense more of a photographer than someone who did a lot of manipulating in the darkroom.
This notion that what goes on with the camera is "photography" and what happens after is not is about the silliest thing I have ever heard. Yes, what goes on with the camera is the core of photography - you can't call anything photography without this part (aside perhaps from a few specialized situations) but, if you limit yourself to that all you end up is with some exposed film or full SD cards. "Gee, I am a real photographer who doesn't manipulate my images, so I can't show them to you or anyone else." (Never mind the fact, as has been mentioned by others, that the mere choice of camera, lens, viewpoint, etc. already constitutes manipulation of the image.)
So, taking the picture is indeed photography, and that's all some people do (besides taking the SD card to a lab, perhaps, but whoops, that's another choice as to how the final viewed image will look, more manipulation by golly!). Some people Photoshop their images to death, and that too is photography - or, to be more specific, part of it. The post processing BY ITSELF should not be called photography (if you process someone else's images, for example), but if you process your own images it is most certainly part of the photographic process. From the moment you see a scene that you want to see hung on the wall, everything you do from deciding where to set the tripod to making the final print is part of the process and is legitimately called "photography." Thinking otherwise is, IMO, the mental e