Depicting Tragedy

Ally Campbell
ac076015@ohio.edu

Photography can be an important tool for storytelling, but it must be used delicately.

In instances of tragedy, images may be an effective way to convey the emotion and truth of the situation. Photos can, however, be easily misinterpreted, misrepresented or troubling. It is important to weigh the consequences of sharing an image of violence or trauma.

Photojournalism covering tragedy can be done very well or very poorly.

Photojournalist Ron Haeberle is an example of photojournalism done well. Haeberle exposed the truth of the My Lai massacre through his photos. Though the content is troubling, Haeberle's work shed light on the tragedy in a way that little else could have. His photos show the lack of humanity and the devastation of war. With unaltered content or context, the photos truthfully and accurately represent what happened in My Lai during the Vietnam War.

Photojournalism Ethics
According to NPPA's code of ethics, those involved in visual journalism and news should represent their subjects accurately and comprehensively. The code is similar to that for written journalism and requires that the provided context should not be altered. Thinking of photography in terms of traditional journalism ethics, it holds true that photojournalists also have a responsibility to uphold the truth, representing the news accurately and fairly.

Journalistic purpose is an excellent way to consider ethical decisions around photos. At its core, journalism is intended to provide information in an accurate and truthful manner. Photojournalism is no different. As with written journalism, photojournalism does not serve its purpose if it is sensational, faulty or misrepresentative.

The Good and the Bad
Both journalism and the accompanying photos should serve some higher purpose. Again drawing on photojournalism examples from the Vietnam War, they had greater purpose. Photos from Vietnam, such as those by Ron Haeberle, revealed government deception and the harsh reality of war.

On the other hand, a photo published by the New York Post several years ago drew controversy because of its questionable journalistic purpose and ethics. It was argued that this photo had no journalistic purpose and was simply published because it was horrifying, yet sensational.

Source

Too often, photos of violence are published because they are sensational or shocking, not because they provide deeper understanding or shed light on serious issues.

This can also happen when photos are not framed correctly or given the appropriate context. For example, the graphic photo in the New York Post was published with the headline, "Doomed: Pushed on the Subway Track, This Man is About to Die." The headline is not false, but it is not sympathetic to the man who died or his family, nor is it inactive of a greater story. For this reason, the New York Post received additional criticism for sensationalizing the tragic event.

Ron Haeberle's My Lai photos showed sympathy and desire to share a story, albeit a tragic one. The New York Post example, however, showed a photo both published and framed with a lack of compassion for human tragedy.

Exercise Compassion 
"Look for ways to exercise your compassion," said Kelly McBride of the Pointer Institute.

McBride's statement encompasses the essence of ethical journalism and photojournalism. Use compassion in your ethical decisions and strive to uphold truth and accuracy, whether it be with photos or words. Compassion will take you pretty far as you make ethical decisions.