Ethical in Journalism - Essay Example

Section/# Ethics in Photojournalism: The Case of Fallujah’s Representation As with any form of journalism, photo-journalism is responsible for representing, as near as possible, the truth of an incident, or group of incidents; without making them appear in a way that would otherwise maximize the ethical standards that the individual photographer, or group representing him/her illustrates. Accordingly, as a means of analyzing what defines ethics and photojournalism, the following discussion will present a photo that was included within the course readings and analyzes based upon ethical standards of journalism. Beyond this, four separate articles will be utilized as a function of determining whether or not ethical standards were met in the photo in question describes the highest levels of photojournalism rigor. Is the hope of this particular student that such a level of analysis will not only be beneficial and drawing a further level of discussion and insight to a specific photo; but that it will also be beneficial in drawing a further level of understanding and discussion towards the issue of ethics and photojournalism and how it can be applied within a litany of different situations around the globe. The enthymeme that can be deduced from all of this is that ethics within photojournalism is extraordinarily important as photojournalism helps to describe the world as it truly exists. The reason for this is that ethics within journalism are responsible for determining the world view that people have and how they view key situations. Featured below in figure 1 is a photo that was taken in Fallujah prior to the battle for that city. Ultimately, what precipitated this particular battle was the fact that three American private security contractors were ambushed, killed, hey above the bridge, and in their bodies were cut down and burned; all the while certain members of Iraqi society facilitated this and encourage individuals to engage in festivities that have strong anti-American themes. Figure 1 Ideally, there are nine distinct ethical conduct recommendations that the National Press Photographer’s Association puts forward. These are as follows: provide accurate and comprehensive representation of subjects, resist being manipulated by staged events, be complete and provide context, treat subjects with respect, do not intentionally control or alter the situation, edit the photo so as to maintain the credibility that if first illustrated, do not pay sources or reward them materially, do not accept compensation, and do not intentionally sabotage the work of other photojournalists or journalists (NPAA Code of Ethics 1). Other authors provide a counterargument which indicates that rights to privacy or reporting on issues that might pique the interest of the viewer/reader based upon the fact that lurid human behavior is exhibited is not unethical. Instead, this contrarian view supports the understanding that reporting on issues of extreme gore or violence based upon human interest alone assists to increase the public’s interest; not to reinforce stereotypes (Lester 51). In terms of this secondary definition of ethics with respect to photojournalistic integrity, it must be noted that the photo that has been represented above would not be counted as unethical by this group of contrarian scholars. Although it is true that the photo does not fail based upon a consideration of personal privacy, it is the shock value of the violence and sheer horror that this particular photo illustrates that is its ultimate selling point. Beyond this, the photo necessarily stereotypes all members of Fallujah’s society, or indeed the entirety of Iraq, as nothing short of young thugs that delight in insulting recently murdered Americans. There is a further concern that is also represented with regard to this particular photo; namely the fact that only young and angry Iraqi individuals are portrayed; raising the question of whether or not the photo was staged; or at best, whether or not the individuals that are included in the photo saw the opportunity to have their picture taken and took part in actions that would maximize the effect and likelihood that their picture would be widely distributed (Campbell 5). For instance, if one examines the photo closely, it is clear to see that those individuals in the foreground appear to be the only ones beating the smoldering corpse with their shoes. Similarly, those within the background of the photo are smiling or otherwise posing so that their faces are fully visible to the viewer. Although these facts alone do not indicate that the photo was staged or that the youth in question took an opportunity to maximize their exposure within the media, it does call into question the veracity of truth that the photo represents; specifically due to the fact that fully 22 individuals under the age of approximately 20 years of age are represented within a community that includes men, women, and children of varying ages. The need to maintain ethical integrity while snapping such images escapes the bounds of journalism and has a profound impact upon the ethics of stereotyping and potential harm that can be effected on an entire society based upon a single photograph (Perlmutter 5). As can be seen from history, the United States response to the three dead contractors, born no doubt in part by the widespread circulation of this photograph, was to wage a protracted battle against the city of Fallujah; killing countless civilians in the process. However, as a result of the fact that the United States and others felt numb to the civilian death tool, due to the fact that they incorrectly stereotyped the entire population of Fallujah based upon the one photograph depicted above, there was no international outcry for the humanitarian situation that the United States battle for Fallujah created. As can be seen, the rigor and importance of ethics in photojournalism escapes the bounds of picture taking alone; instead, it has far reaching implications for the way in which individuals within the media understand the world, seek to classify/categorize events, and ultimately stereotype, group, or mis-represent individuals within a particular group, class, religion, or geographic area as a function of the way in which photojournalism takes place. As the photo in question does not exhibit a high level of ethical considerations, based upon the metrics that have been discussed, it is the understanding of this author that it should have been passed over by the editors in favor of a photo that sought to tell a more accurate and informative story based upon the events that transpired. Whereas it is entirely possible that the actions of the youths depicted in the above picture in Fallujah were in fact spontaneous and that they were not posing for the photograph and did represent broader feelings of American hatred within Iraq, they most certainly did not indicate that the broader situation within the city of Fallujah could be characterized by their fits of rage. Instead, they only likely represented a very small percentage point of view; thereby decreasing the ethical nature of this particular photo and calling into question whether or not the photojournalist considered some of the many norms that have thus far been discussed within the course; and/or within this particular assignment. Works Cited Campbell, David. David Campbell · Visual storytelling: creative practice and criticism. N.p., 1 May 2003. Web. 6 Aug. 2014. Lester, Paul M. Photojournalism : an ethical approach. Hillsdale, N.J: L. Erlbaum, 1991. Print. N.A. "NPPA Code of Ethics NPPA." Code of Ethics. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Aug. 2014. Perlmutter, David. "Nieman Reports | Images of Horror From Fallujah." Nieman Reports. N.p., 1 July 2004. Web. 6 Aug. 2014. Read More