I have been reflecting on all the graphic photos that we shared in the last class before the Veterans Day break and I think that photo journalists are a different breed than journalists. I have been a free lance news correspondant for >10 years and I don't view my role as a decision maker. I get the facts and am obligated to report on the facts as comprehensively and objectively as possible. The reason I think that photo journalists are different is that they make a decision-when to shoot the photo. And their decision of when to shoot the photo has the potential to significantly change the depiction of the events. It was mentioned that there are resources for photojournalists to address the trauma that they are exposed to in their jobs. But I am wondering if there is any specific ethical type schooling for them?
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5 comments:
Do you really think there are fewer "ethical" journalists in the world because of an ethics course?
This course provides us with examples of how we should approach certain situations based on what is tolerated and what is not. Educating students about what qualifies as ethical is one thing. To make them more ethical is another.
Just like print and broadcast journalists, photojournalists also have the mental capacity to differentiate right from wrong. Photojournalists are capable of predicting the victims and publics reactions, based on their decision of what to shoot and when to capture the moment, plus how their photo’s will impact the events significance, as well as the information chosen to be disseminated with the photo. When a photojournalist captures an event they acknowledge the meaning of the event, if a photojournalist alters the events significance by releasing an inappropriate or irrelevant photo, they know they made a bad decision.
Let me assure you, ethics class does not prevent unethical behavior, nor make people more ethical. Yes, there are ethical print, broadcast, and photojournalists. But not because of anything that any other professor taught them.
While in no way do I think that teaching ethics is a directly correlative deterent to unethical reporting, I do think that by teaching guidelines and ways to think about ethical issues, it is establishing a foundation that may impact journalisitic decision making. Think of it like a moral compass, the guidelines help keep the honest people honest because their conscience has this foundation of information in it. Are you saying that teaching never has an impact on ethical behavior?
I think teaching does have an impact on ethical behavior, since we are learning what is appropriate and what is inappropriate from previous examples. And we are reflecting on the consequences.
However I think if someone like Jayson Blair took this course, it wouldn't have influenced him to play his cards any differently.
In other words, I still think if Blair took Ethics in Journalism, he would have regardless plagiarized and fabricated articles for 4 years at the New York Times, until he was caught. I also think that if Madoff took a course on Ethical Financing, it wouldn't have prevented him from initiating his $170 billion ponzi scheme on Wall Street in NYC.
I think this course teaches us the same. Because people can make mistakes but can't live lies since one lie leads to another and keeps getting bigger. However if a journalist thought their story would benefit from publishing a heinous photo or defamatory information -- they could learn from the feedback and apologize to their victims, readers and/or viewers.
I think that teaching ethics in journalism ,certainly doesn't guarantee that people will be ethical.This is something that comes from the character , of the person themselves.
Teaching ethics though ,is a way of showing, the person the right views and values.Hopefully, they will want to follow in those ways.
In the case of photojournalists , it's up to them to ethically determine how to use that moment that he captures , in a way that paints the true and real picture.
I think that ethics classes and case studies can help to educate and produce more ethical journalists and photojournalists. As Valerie and Jeanette said, classes won't guarantee ethical people, but they can provide a foundation for better decision making.
It is the character of the person that will be the final determinant, however talking over potential problems and solutions can help improve the ethical quality of split second decisions by photojournalists.
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