Ethical Theory Of Photojournalism

Since this study focuses on the ethical decision-making of the selected photojournalists, it will mostly use ethical theories for their framework. All the theories involved in this study would be under the Normative Ethical Theory because it “... involves arriving at moral standards that regulate right and wrong conduct. In a sense, it is a search for an ideal litmus test of proper behavior” (Fieser, n.d.).
Teleological Ethical Theory
According to teleological (or consequentialist) moral theory, all rational human actions are teleological in the sense that we reason about the means of achieving certain ends (White, Ph.D., n.d.). It deals with the actions and what are the possibilities that might happen during the action. In teleology, people

think about the consequences of the action before doing the action. White, PhD. (n.d.) further explained that, “from the teleological point of view, human behavior is neither right nor wrong in and of itself. What matters is what might happen as a consequence of those actions in any given context”
Deontological Ethical Theory
Deontology is associated mostly with Immanuel Kant who argued that the highest good was the good will, and morally right actions are those carried out with a sense of duty (Kant, 1998 (1781; 1785) cited in Pasternak, n.d.). The rightness or wrongness of a moral rule is determined independent of its consequences or how happiness or pleasure is distributed as a result of abiding by that rule, or not abiding by it (White, Ph.D., n.d.)
Based on Traer (2013)’s illustration, Figure 1.0, of the ethical paths, the words ‘duty’ and ‘rights’ are associated on doing the right action. Doing the actions because it is the right thing to do, as discussed above, is under deontological theory. When it comes ‘character’ and ‘relationship’ it refers on the theories about being good and when ‘egoism’ and ‘utilitarianism’ is involved, it is about the consequences, which all of these are under teleological theory as it deals with the actions, whether it be right or wrong, in accordance to the means rather than the ends.