Grace Morris
Gm245917@ohio.edu
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| Source: Photo Industry News, Resources, and Opinion |
In today’s world, the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” is more relevant than ever within the field of journalism. For journalists, the use of photos and video has revolutionized the way a story is told and conveyed to the public. However, this usage has also brought about many ethical conflicts and dilemmas concerning the subjects and the audience. If the use of photos and videos is done poorly, this can affect the public’s view and trust of journalists.
One ethical dilemma that can arise with the use of photos and videos is the issue of the subject’s privacy. In recent years, the number of protests has increased substantially and has once again become a vital part of American activism. During these protests, journalists and photojournalists take photos and videos to document these historic events. However, many protesters have spoken up about the dangers of having their photos being taken and published during a protest.
According to an article published by the Center for Media Engagement, it states that in states like Florida, an individual attending a protest can be fired from their job or even charged with a crime. Many have called photojournalists to consider blurring out the faces of protesters to maintain their privacy and safety. However, many journalists believe that showing faces is critical for these types of stories. Journalists have also stated that blurring out the faces of protestors would impose on the ethical codes of photojournalism.
The National Press Photographers Association’s website lists 10 ethical codes and guidelines that photojournalists should always follow when producing and publishing work. The fourth ethical code that is provided states that photojournalists should treat and give all subjects respect, dignity, consideration, and compassion. In addition, the sixth ethical code that is provided states that the editing of photos and videos should maintain the integrity of the original medium’s content and context. Also, the medium's content should not be manipulated or altered in any way that can mislead the public or misrepresent the subjects.
With these ethical codes in mind, how photojournalists decide to pursue these conflicts will inevitably affect how stories are written and pursued in reporting. This is a difficult avenue that many journalists face today. In my opinion, I believe that the faces of the subjects during these events should be shown to ensure that accuracy, transparency, and honesty are being upheld. It’s up to journalists to ensure that the images they provide are honest and accurate but most importantly, minimize harm to all parties involved.
Grace, I appreciate your photojournalistic perspective. Although it relates a lot to journalism (obviously), I feel far removed from it because I do not have any experience with photojournalism specifically. This seems to be a really big ethical dilemma, especially with conflicting codes of minimizing harm and being thoroughly transparent about events. It's up to the public, especially in places like Florida, to be aware of the possible ramifications of being present in such settings; although, knowing the possible consequences takes education on policy rights, specific to each state.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this article. Very thought provoking!
This is such a informative and almost refreshing Blog post! Being in the broadcast social media line of work/field you rarely hear about the images and videos we use in our stories and the effort it takes in order to have them published. Obviously the publics best interest is in mind across all forms of journalism and minimizing harm is a major aspect in keeping the interest positive.
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