Ethics of Photojournalism

Ethics Map

Above is an image of what I personally grouped to make up who I strive to be and highlighting key values that I attribute to a well-rounded individual of the society. These features that make up my “ethics map” include six key features: honesty, loyalty, respect, family, generosity, and responsibility. Next to these six major categories that I grouped together, I used a few words that I believe what it means to demonstrate these values. I do not believe that there is anyone quite that can truely operate under these features without violating them in some way or another but I do believe they can be a great example of what they can strive to possess. 

                   
Professor Nordell refers to the dictionary’s definition as, “a theory or system of moral values” or in relevance to photojournalism “the principles of conduct governing an individual or group”. In photojournalism, there has been a set code of ethics of which photojournalists must follow and incorporate in their works. These codes of ethics are put into place to “promote the highest quality in all forms of visual journalism and to strengthen public confidence in the profession. It is also meant to serve as an educational tool both for those who practice and for those who appreciate photojournalism,” set forth by the National Press Photographers Association. For the most part, many are aware of the consequences of ignoring the ethical boundaries and make sure to respect them but there absolutely are some individuals in the past that have violated them. An example of this occurred in the case of Fabienne Cherisma.

Image By: Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters

Image By: Paul Hansen

Image By: Nathan Weber

Young 15-year-old, Haitian following the catastrophic earthquake in 2010 was shot dead in the head by police officers for being caught stealing two plastic chairs and three framed pictures. In one picture shot by Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters, the young girl had been lying there dead, on top of the loot of pictures she had stolen, not chairs to be found and her pockets had been picked through. When comparing it to a photograph taken by Nathan Weber that took the image to convey a different message of the greed of the photographers there are a few ethics that are violated. Immediately one ethical dilemma that comes to mind is, “treat all subjects with respect and dignity. Give special consideration to vulnerable subjects and compassion to victims of crime or tragedy.” This unfortunate circumstance that led to the death of the young girl was taken advantage of by multiple photographers. It was said that she was shot not even 15 minutes before she was surrounded. Two other ethics that were violated were, “be accurate and comprehensive in the representation of subjects” and “resist being manipulated by staged photo opportunities.” When looking closely at the three photographs there is evidence that suggests that the young girl’s body had been moved and staged to make a better image. In Carlos Garcia Rawlin’s image, it is apparent that Fabienne’s arm was positioned differently while showing an image of a flower when compared to the shot by Paul Hansen and also her head was positioned to enhance the photo.

Not only do these violate these aspects of the National Press Photographers Association’s code of ethics, but there are also many parts of this that do not match my “ethics map”. As I pointed out the 6 key concepts that I believe make up a good citizen, many of which were violated in this situation. Honesty- the photographer that manipulated the body of the young girl. Respect- that again, was violated when they swarmed the young girl immediately and disturbed the “resting peace”. Family- which was violated because that young girl is, in fact, the daughter, sister, granddaughter of individuals that were also impacted and by documenting the gruesomeness of her death they were reminded of the pain that the poor girl endeavored.