Photojournalist Mark Hancock once wrote: “A journalist tells a stories. A photographer takes pictures, a photojournalist takes the best of both and locks it into a powerful medium”(Newton, 236). For many years visuals such as photos have been used to add context to an article, photos can allow the reader to relate and understand the story better. Rather than just reading about an event, photo’s that accompany a story connect the viewer to the story in ways that words cannot. That being said, although photojournalist photos are meant to be transparent and accurate, it is becoming more and more apparent that news outlets and freelance photojournalists are manipulating and photo shopping images. Photojournalist are constantly finding themselves …show more content…
having to detach themselves from their subjects and act quickly and often times because they work in such fast paced environments they are on the receiving end of backlash. This essay will discuss how much manipulation and editing is too much for news photos as well when it’s ethical for photojournalist to put down their cameras and help those in suffering. In order to answer the question stated this essay will cover New York Posts “Doomed” image, CBC Collin Perkel coverage of a Canadian Military chopper crash in Afghanistan and other pieces. The examples used in this essay are all examples of moral dilemmas faced in recent times. Additionally this essay will analyze these issues using the Rushword Kidder’s ethical decision making paradigms and resolution principles as discussed in class. This essay will focus on the resolution principles when discussing each ethical dilemma in order to find out whether or not the photojournalist and the news organization made the right decision. Kidder’s ethical decision making paradigms and resolution principles has three main resolution principles as discussed in class, they are end based, rule-based and care based. The first resolution that this essay will cover is End based, as defined in lecture end based is when the news outlet and in this case photojournalist share an image that does the greatest good for the most people. It is often hard to determine in photojournalism what is best for the general public to view. CBC reporter Collin Perkel is a perfect example of that. Percale was a war reporter and photojournalist in 2011, while reporting in Afghanistan Collin Perkel was involved chopper crash that resulted in the death of four Canadian soldiers. Perkel survived the crash and was able to capture images of the damaged chopper. When covering war journalist and photojournalist are told not to publish any damaged equipment. With that in mind Collin Perkel proceeded to publish the images on CBC’s website. Because Collin Perkel published images of the damaged chopper he was no longer able to travel with the Canadian Military. The ethical dilemma that Collin Perkel was faced with here was whether or not he should share the images of the damaged chopper. If Perkel neglected to publish the photos from the damaged chopper he would have maintained a positive relationship with the military. Furthermore had Perkel and the CBC ultimately both believed that by publish the images in the end would benefit more people than not. A part of photojournalism and journalism at large is remaining unbiased. This is something that proves very difficult in photojournalism and contribute to end based resolutions. “Journalist take sides, they take positions, they expose corruption and they work to a social norm of what should be, as wells what is” (Tomaselli, 2011). In the case of Perkel and his chopper crash pictures it can be argued that he did not take any sides when publishing the photos of the crash. By posting the image the Canadian military proved to the their enemies that although the plane crashed there were still survivors, while at the same time it was beneficial for the enemies because it showcased the damage and power that the poses. In the case of Perkels photos of the crash he decided that ultimately sharing the pictures is beneficial for more people than it is harmful. Decisions like these are things that photojournalist are constantly faced with and in the case of Collin Perkel although the journalist themselves think that it is important to share and is informal there will always be opposed to it. Ultimately the end based resolution principle can different in everyone’s opinion. In addition to end based resolution principle there is the Care Based resolution principle. Care based resolution principle as defined in lecture is “putting care for other first. It is most associated with the Golden rule ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’” (lecture). In photojournalism, photographers often find themselves in a position where they are forced to take themselves out of a situation and make themselves a bystander. An example of this would be New York Post freelance photographer R.Umar Abbasi photo from 2012 where he captured a photo of 58 year old Ki-Suck Han moments before he was struck by a New York Subway train (Wemple,2012). This photo is a perfect example of a Photojournalist taking himself out of the situation to do a job, and disregard Kidders Care Based resolution principle. Had the photojournalist been working under the Care Based resolution he would helped the victim rather than snap away while the subject scrambles to avoid death. Because Abbasi took the photo he found himself receiving a lot of backlash for not helping Suck Han, Abbasi however, tried to speak out saying “He never could have reached the man, it all went down so fast. Another example of a photojournalist finding himself having to disregard Kidders Care based resolution principle is 1994 Pulitzer Prize winner Kevin Carter. Carter photo of a starving child with a vulture loaming in the background is one of the most talked about images from the past 20 years. Carter ran into a number of backlash from viewers because rather than helping the little girl he took a photo of the situation even after Carter said that he chased the bird away following the picture. In the case of Care Based resolution it is very challenging for journalist to take that into consideration. Photographers are supposed to capture real life events however, when they do so they are often criticized for not stepping in. “Photojournalists are forced to choose between their duty as “Good Samaritans” who help someone in need and their duty as journalists who reports the news. The competing actions weigh the good that benefits an individual against the good that potentially benefits the larger society” (Kim and James, 2013). Photojournalist are forced to think less about Care Based resolutions and focus more so on Kidders ethical paradigm of Justice versus mercy and hope that viewers understand why they took the photo. In the cases of Abbasi and Carter they for the second it takes to click the shutter have to ignore the fact that a human is at risk and take the picture. In the case of Carter’s vulture and baby photo Carter had to take a photo of the starving baby to portrait the famine that was going on at the time. By doing so it appeared as though he lacked mercy towards the little girl when in reality in order to showcase the famine and everything that was going on he had to take the photo. As for Abbasi he had to take the picture to add context to the story because according to Abbasi there was no way he could have helped. As much as journalist wish they could take save or help those in the pictures that are suffering they must first photograph the event, unlike writers they cannot use words to describe what had happened. In order to portray a famine a photojournalist must take photos of people that are starving and in order to accompany a story about a man hit by a subway the journalist must take a photo if possible of the last second before the subway strikes the victim. The final Kidders resolution principle is the Rule-Based resolution principle as determined in lecture.
Rule-based resolution principle as described in lecture slides is “rules exist for a purpose, they promote order and justice and should be followed. Follow the principle that you want others to follow. In photojournalism one ethical rule that photojournalist find themselves struggling with is how much image editing is too much editing. It is ethical to fix minor exposure or contrast issues in a photo however, an issue that is becoming more and more problematic is when photojournalist change the tone entirely of a photo or add subjects to the picture. Brian Coopers “A few photographers stain media image; Photojournalists are to record Events not create them” touches on this issue. "A supposed "victim" of a building collapse conveniently positioned atop the rubble without a speck of dust on his body. Don't buildings generate lots of dirt and dust when they tumble? This same "victim" was shown in other images, taken minutes earlier, healthy and busily assisting in rescue operations” (Cooper, 2006). With the advancement in Photoshop technology it becomes very challenging to truly rely on timing when they have the ability to recreate the perfect image simply by merging multiple images into one. It can all be traced back to Kidders Truth vs Loyalty, photojournalist can alter the truth using Photoshop to portray a scene being more gruesome than it actually is. Or they can remain ethical/loyal to what actually happened and release real time images. It is becoming increasingly apparent that some photojournalist are editing their images to attract a larger audience and by doing so they are ignoring basic ethical rules of the National Press Photographers Association “Be accurate and comprehensive in the representation of subjects.” By adding to an image it is less accurate to the events that actually happened, it over-exaggerates or under exaggerates the events taking
place. In conclusion photojournalist are consistently faced with ethical dilemmas and are forced to think and act quickly, because of that they consistently find themselves on the receiving end of backlash. As a result of their fast paced working environment they sometimes must disregard Rushword Kidder’s ethical decision making paradigms and especially the resolution principles that were discussed in lecture which are end based, rule-based and care based resolution principles. Sometime photojournalist ignoring and disregard the issues it results in a better image however, more often times than not photojournalist are ridiculed and looked down upon for being unethical. Due to the work environment that they find themselves in and the fact that they cannot recreate or are not supposed to recreate events, photojournalist are forced to cut corners to better portray an event that took place. As stated earlier unlike print journalist photojournalist do not have the luxury of reporting after an event, they must be live and shot exactly what they see not what other tell them they saw.
An image has the explicit power of telling a story without saying any words, that’s the power behind a photo. A photo tends to comes with many sides to a story, it has the ability to manipulate and tell something differently. There is a tendency in America, where explicit photos of war or anything gruesome occurring in the world are censored for the public view. This censorship hides the reality of our world. In “The War Photo No One Would Publish” Torie DeGhett centers her argument on censorship, detailing the account of graphic Gulf War photo the American press refused to publish. (73) DeGhett argues that the American public shouldn’t be restrained from viewing graphic content of the war occurring around the world. She believes that incomplete
Susan Sontag once wrote, “To collect photographs is to collect the world.” In her article entitled “On Photography,” she overviews the nature of photography and its relation to people using it. Sontag discusses photography’s ability to realistically capture the past rather than an interpretation of it, acting as mementos that become immortal. Continuing on to argue the authenticity of photography and how its view points have shifted from art into a social rite.With the use of rhetorical devices, Sontag scrutinizes the characteristics of photography and its effects on surrounding affairs; throughout this article Sontag reiterates the social rites, immortality and authenticity of photographs, and the act of photography becoming voyeuristic. With the use of the rhetorical devices pathos, appeal of emotion, ethos, appeal to ethics and credibility, and logos, appeal to logic, Sontag successfully persuades the audience to connect and agree with her views.
It’s his compassion for his subjects and his commitment to them that surpasses the act of making a pretty picture. Spending days with his subjects in the slums of Harlem or the hardly developed mountains of West Virginia, he immerses himself into the frequently bitter life of his next award-winning photo. Often including word for word text of testimonials recorded by junkies and destitute farmers, Richards is able to provide an unbiased portrayal. All he has done is to select and make us look at the faces of the ignored, opinions and reactions left to be made by the viewer. Have you ever been at the beach safely shielded by a dark pair of sunglasses and just watched?
5 Light, Ken. Tremain, Kerry. Witness in our Time: Working Lives of Documentary Photographers. Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2000.
The mass media carries with it unparalleled opportunities to impart information, but also opportunities to deceive the public, by misrepresenting an event. While usually thought of as falsifying or stretching facts and figures, manipulation can just as easily be done in the use of photography and images. These manipulations may be even more serious – and subtle – than written manipulations, since they may not be discovered for years, if ever, and can have an indelible and lasting impact on the viewer, as it is often said, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. One of the most significant images of Twentieth Century America was the photograph of a migrant mother holding her child. The photograph was taken during the Great Depression by photographer Dorothea Lange, and has remained an enduring symbol of the hardship and struggle faced by many families during the Depression Era. This image was also an example of the manipulation of photography, however, for it used two major forms of manipulation that remain a problem in journalistic photography.
This is pretty much golden rule or empathy based and to do what is best for others in a given situation. This being said, is it the responsibility of the media to promote the golden rule or to record life as it happens? On one hand, the media could dismiss all knowledge of said perpetrator and promote the well being of others in terms of an empathetic point of view. On the other hand, is it not important to establish a sense of factual evidence and details from an event that occurred? Citizens should be informed, however, from a care based ethics point of view which promotes the strict foundation of doing good unto others, the best answer would be to not publish facts and pictures to keep the feelings of a said society at bay.
The rights of paparazzi journalists must be protected to prevent the slow erosion of the rights of all journalists. If we allow the paparazzi to be used as a scapegoat and to be persecuted and regulated it will not be long until the next most radical fringe group of journalists come under fire. This cycle will eventually l...
Cameras go way back to the year 1879, and have advanced greatly throughout the years. They used to be huge and bulky with all kinds of attachments and stands. Now they are so small and thin that they are put in everyday items that we use, for instance, cell phones and laptops. Backs then cameras were less than $40 and they were made with glass that was 6.5 by 8.5 inches thick (Patti). Now in this time of age, cameras can go from a few hundred bucks to thousands of dollars depending on the camera, and they are much smaller with clearer pictures now. In 1912 Kodak came out with the Vest Pocket camera, which sold for only six dollars. It had a glass lens of 2 1/4 by 3 1/4 inches thick, which is much
This is the basis of freedom of speech. This allows anyone to express their opinions whether it written or photographed. With this principle the use of controversial images should be used in the media. The truth is images may show face of victims of horrific events, but most images portray it as a tragedy, not as a way to identify victims. Yes, the cost of the victim and their families is there, but the image must be shown for the greater cause. Most controversial images are used mainly to get empathy or anger people’s emotions. If photographers can’t show these images, then really are we truly a country made on the beliefs of freedom of
Photoshop can be used to depict opponents in undesirable situations or to depict events which haven’t actually happened. There have been numerous political scandals where one candidate doctors a photograph of their opponent. In 2012 Wil Cardon, a Republican candidate for the senate, launched a campaign against U.S. Representative Jeff Flake by using doctored photos of Flake to imply that he opposed SB 1070. The pictures had been doctored to feature Flake standing with Obama (McCombs, "Flake: Doctored Photos 'Dishonest '."). Here the doctored photograph was meant to deceive voters into believing an opponent had a certain viewpoint. The pictures depicted a scenario which never happened and may not display the full truth. In this case the doctored photograph crossed the fine moral line. The article Is it Real, Or Is It Photoshoped? discusses the increasing concern of doctored before and after pictures presented to clients by physicians (Anthem Media Group). In this case the photograph is purposely trying to deceive a perspective client into believe that the procedure will be more effective than it actually is. The picture does not present the truth in a scenario where it is unethical not to present the truth. Doctored photographs are not only unethical when they are used deceptively for one’s gain, but also when they are used to destroy another’s
As a result, many photographers take pictures to keep society updated on the events that are happening around the world. However, many turn to the idea of manipulating images to garner awareness of the current events. Although there are many instances where many don’t realize that a photo has been altered, it brings into question, the concept of ethics. Personally when I look at a photograph I assume that the photo is a clear distinction of the event that had happened at the moment. However, when the photos becomes manipulated I feel as though the truth has been distorted. The reason being is because they I look at the image I start to create a pseudo reality of what might have taken place and I try to understand the symbolism and emotions of the photo. Once you distort these images it then brings into question about whether it is ethically okay to distort the image. Although some photo manipulations is considered okay by some, others disapprove on the idea because it deceives the public. Some examples in photos are manipulated is when people are trying to making someone or a product look more appealing. However, when a picture is being used for journalistic purposes and propaganda I definitely don’t approve of it. This reason is that you are deceiving the public from the truth. Furthermore, it brings into question the intentions of the photographer, is the photo that is being manipulated being made so to garner more attention to the
Through this establishment, Quinn shows how the journalists have a moral obligation to provide accurate information to society, and the digital manipulation of images to deceive the said audience causes growing distrust in the media – thus affecting utility (the utilitarian aspect behind the necessity of providing ethical photographic information). The other philosophical doctrine analyzed is Kantian deontology. Quinn examines how the use of ‘dodge and burn’ editing is a violation of the truth due to the artificial lightening/darkening of pictures- pointing out the fact that journalists have a responsibility to essentially recreate reality, and anything that strays away from this premise enters the realm of deception and deceit and is therefore a lie. Finally, virtual theory is analyzed in the article. Aaron Quinn argues that virtue ethics are necessary in the field of journalism, and virtues such as truth telling, integrity and accuracy are important in order to allow journalists to make decisions whilst taking into account individual agent traits unlike the principles of
Photojournalism is a specific form of journalism that employs the use of images to form a news story that meaningfully contributes to the media. This allows a photographer to capture stills that tell the story of a moment in time. Photojournalism creates a transparency between the media and the people as it depicts an accurate representation where meaning can be misinterpreted through text. Photojournalism largely contributes to the way we understand the reality of a moment. Becker (1982) supports this concept as he compares photography to paintings. He says that paintings get their meaning from the painters, collectors, critics, and curators; therefore photographs get their meaning from the way people understand them and use them. Photojournalist’s
“It is unjust for photographers of mass media to create unrealistic edits of human bodies for the consideration of viewers' psyches.”
Newton, Julianne H. The Burden of Visual Truth: The Role of Photojournalism in Mediating Reality. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2001. Print.