The National Press Photographer’s Association (NPPA), an american professional society made up of photographers, videographers, editors, and journalists, is highly concerned with the importance of ethics of photojournalism. According to the NPPA, Visual journalists operate as trustees of the public, and their primary goal is to report visually on important events happening in our world. It is their responsibility to document society and to preserve its history through images. While photographic images can reveal the truth, spread messages to the public about important issues taking place in our world, and inspire people, photographs that are intrusive, manipulated, or untrue can cause more harm than good.
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| Photo By: Nathan Weber Image Source: Photojournalism Code of Ethics |
The NPPA acknowledges the concern for ethics in photojournalism and has created a code of ethics which are “intended 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.” According to the NPPA, photojournalists and others involved in visual journalism should follow these specific code of ethics and are responsible for keeping up with these standards in their work:
In my opinion, photojournalists should follow the same code of ethics as everyone else. Therefore, I appreciate the code of ethics created by the NPPA. It is important for photojournalists to have specific guidelines to follow, especially when entering a work environment that may not be ideal. In other words, when photojournalists find themselves taking on an assignment that involves them being in areas of conflict, challenging the ethics of photojournalism, having a code of ethics to follow is very helpful in these situations.
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| Photo By: Kevin Carter Image Source: Photojournalism Ethical Crisis |
I had researched some powerful photographs that are definitely ethically questionable. For example, one of the photographs I came across was taken by Kevin Carter, showing a starving little girl being stalked by a vulture behind her, as she was crawling to get food. Although the photograph was very successful and even won the Pulitzer Prize, it was revealed that Carter did not immediately photograph the little girl. In fact, he waited roughly 20 minutes before capturing the moment, which made people question him about why he didn’t bother helping her, and instead just watched her suffer and become threatened as a target for an animal, as if she were an animal herself. It became obvious to the public that this photograph was only taken for Carter’s job as a professional photojournalist and not to help with the issue. He truly did not pay any mind to this little girl’s well-being, and just stuck around to capture that “perfect” moment. What makes this case so interesting and shocking is the fact that Carter actually received so much criticism about the photograph that all of the guilt and depression ultimately lead him to committing suicide a year later.
Kevin Carter’s situation with his completely unethical photograph completely violates my own personal ethics. I strongly believe in being compassionate and caring towards others, especially when they are suffering. I could not imagine seeing someone helpless in front of my own eyes, and not stop what I am doing to help. From one human being to another, I would have absolutely stepped in and took the girl to a safer environment. Also, as a devoted mother to my child, it would be completely inhumane and unethical for me to leave another child in danger. Therefore, I believe that the way Kevin Carter photographed this little girl would violate nearly everyone’s personal ethics because it is safe to say that most people’s personal ethics and values, including mine, consist of respect, responsibility, and being caring and compassionate towards others.
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| My Ethics Map |
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