Ethics and Photojournalism

Our first topic is loosely titled "ethics and photojournalism" but it could very well apply to any type of photography.  We discussed a bit of it last semester when we looked at Hurley's composites -

and many of you made compelling arguments in the final test both for and against Hurley.  We also briefly looked at James Nachtwey, and we were moved by his sense of compassion and integrity towards his subjects.

The ease and speed with which photography can be produced and disseminated today means that the topic of ethics is more important than ever before.  Photojournalists in the past would've had a series of filters or gatekeepers in the news editors and photoeditors who would be required to keep some checks of what is published and the context of it. Today, the internet allows you to pretty much publish anything, and the ethical responsibility resides on you as an individual photographer.  I suggest that as you read and reflect on this subject you work out for yourself what sort of code of ethics might shape who and how you photograph, regardless of what others are doing.  For example, with fashion photography it is easy to say "everyone is using 12 year old models, so if I don't I will be left out" - that's simply not true, and many fashion photographers have succeeded through choosing their models and refusing to do work that is exploitative or that contributes to the inappropriate sexualisation of children, or the ongoing promotion of the ultra-thin anorexic body as a desirable standard.  So, as we go along the various topics during the semester, we will go back again and again to these questions about ethics.

For now, you need to read the excerpt "Ethics and Photojournalism" from the chapter called "Contemporary Issues" - please note that you only need to read pp 446-452 at this point, but of course if you want to read the whole chapter, go for it.  You should be able to download the whole chapter as a PDF from elearn, and please let me know if this is not working.

Assignment # 2, once you finish reading, write a one paragraph reflection on what you consider the most important issues raised in this text. Include and example of a photograph (properly labelled, of course) that you think illustrates these issues. Post it all in your blogs, and please label the title of the posting "Assignment 2" as you will be posting other research you find during the semester so I need each assignment to be clearly identified.