Photojournalism: Sensationalism or Brutal Reality
In Prof. Foley’s Ethical Issues in Media class, I designed and wrote text for a zine on brutal imagery in photojournalism. In this zine, I expound upon the idea of a code of ethics for photojournalism, question the ethicality & impact of certain famous photos, and showcase the effect of context with/out pictures.
Some quotes from the zine:
“As technology evolves, and media continues to gradually increase the amount of brutal imagery we consume, we must consider the ethical issues these photographs incite; such as privacy issues, slave ethnography, discrimination, objectification, and exoticism.”
— Intro to Sensationalism, p. 4
“Brutal images, either seen in real life or through media, have the tendency of giving humans an odd sense of power and security… As long as the viewer feels safe, they will not try to effect positive change.”
— Psychology of Sensationalized Photojournalism: Caution & Catnip, p. 9
“The act of going to another country to photograph people in worse situations than themselves is a way of slave ethnography - excluding subjects, namely people of color and non-Western societies from progression and modernity by displacing them from a timeline and not revisiting those subjects.”
— The Western Gaze, p. 8
Code of Ethics:
Respect Truth, whatever the consequences for him/her/themself.
Verify that the photograph is realistic and not misleading in nature.
Editing should maintain the integrity of the photographic images’ content and context. Do not manipulate images or add or alter sound in any way that can mislead viewers or misrepresent subjects.
Only publish photographs that can be traced back to their origin.
Abstain from using any disloyal means to achieve photographs.
Treat subjects with respect and dignity and abstain from intruding on private moments of grief unless there is a justifiable and pressing reason for their public disclosure.
Never interfere with an event or attempt to change its course.
Never set up or re-enact a situation.
Avoid stereotyping individuals and groups.
Recognize and work to avoid presenting one’s own biases in the work.
Always write truthful captions.
Do not accept gifts, favors, or compensation from those who might seek to influence coverage.
Share with the editor all information he/she/they has, in order to avoid misinterpretations or wrongful use.
Choose publications with care to avoid any editorial misuse.