Pros And Cons Of Photojournalism
On January 19th, 2010, photojournalist Paul Hansen took a photograph of a fifteen- year-old girl named Fabienne Cherisma, who’d been shot dead by police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. In March of the following year, Hanen’s picture was chosen as the Best International News Image at the Swedish Picture of the Year Awards, an award that would ignite a long-standing debate over the ethics of photographing disasters. No stranger to controversy, Hansen has a history of award-winning photography that pushes boundaries, a practice that has been prevalent throughout photojournalism since its earliest uses. His images often depict moments of tragedy and suffering seen in areas steeped in conflict or the throes of a disaster. They offer compelling views into the events that shape the lives of people that we’d otherwise have little or no access to witnessing. There are instances where these photographs cross an ethical boundary. Instances in which it becomes unclear whether they should tell the story. Sometimes described as disaster pornography, these photographs depict brutal moments of human suffering. Often with a level of objectivity that may seem callous or exploitative. These moments prompt the question: is this necessary to tell the story? Hansen offers a startling glimpse into the ongoing …show more content…
It is the ambiguity of this definition that are the source of debate for how these principles apply to photojournalism. Even within the existing infrastructure, there is room for interpretation that depends on vetting through various philosophical schools of thought and industry standards about ethical practice. The most prominent source of ethical standards is presented by the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), in their Code of Ethics. The preamble to the ethics code
Summary Of Raising The Flag On Iwo Jima By Joe Rosenthal
910 Words | 4 PagesJoe Rosenthal is a photographer whose photo, Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, has become one of the most recognizable photos in American history. It became so famous that it won a Pulitzer Prize the same year it was taken, used to create the Marine Corps War Memorial, and used as the photo for a war-bond poster in 1945 which raised $26 billion (Pulitizer). As such, I argue that this photo illustrates the brutality of the fighting that occurred on not only Iwo Jima, but throughout World War II, and also makes a strong argument for the theory of liberalism. However, first it is important to identify what exactly makes this photo so revered and why it was selected.
Light In Elie Wiesel's Night
777 Words | 4 PagesAristotle wrote, “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light (Aristotle)”. The Holocaust was one of the darkest times humanity has ever seen. A machination brewed by an extraordinarily perverse man that resulted in the deaths of millions, and robbed millions more of their faith and hope. Families were torn apart, towns were destroyed, and humanity lost, all to satisfy one man’s extreme racism and psychotic agenda. If however, one only chooses to focus on the darkness, they might overlook the light, specifically in the two stories of boys who survived against all odds and shared their tales years after defying death.
Oliver Ogelthrope Analysis
565 Words | 3 PagesAs the editor-in-chief of the local daily newspaper, I would publish the photograph of Oliver Ogelthrope lying amongst the wreckage of the church bus. I believe that this photograph has the right both legally and ethically to be published because of the crime committed, however, it should not be the leading image on the cover of the newspaper. The lead story should still be the tornado; this accident is only relevant because it happened in response to the tornado. The emotional impact that a photograph like this could have upon the viewers is the result of a non-related criminal act, unlike the stories published about 9/11 with graphic content that were a direct result of the larger story. Images such as those deserved to be on the front page because they showed how the terrorist attack directly affected the lives of our nation and decisions regarding national security.
Donald M. Murray's The Stranger In The Photo Is Me
610 Words | 3 PagesFor the duration of his essay “The Stranger in the Photo is Me”, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and professor Donald M. Murray depicts his train of thought while flipping through an old family photo album. While describing his experience, Murray carries the reader through the story of his childhood, describing snapshots of some of his favorite memories growing up. Throughout the piece, he shifts back and forth between a family oriented, humorous tone and a nostalgic, regretful one and by doing so, he parallels the true experience of looking through a family photo album. Murray expresses a more serious tone while reflecting on a certain photograph of him in uniform from the beginning of World War II and goes on to explain how in his opinion,
Ugliness And Beauty In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried
1290 Words | 6 PagesIn war, there is no clarity, no sense of definite, everything swirls and mixes together. In Tim O’Brien’s novel named “The Things They Carried”, the author blurs the lines between the concepts like ugliness and beauty to show how the war has the potential to blend even the most contrary concepts into one another. “How to Tell a True War Story” is a chapter where the reader encounters one of the most horrible images and the beautiful descriptions of the nature at the same time. This juxtaposition helps to heighten the blurry lines between concepts during war. War photography has the power to imprint a strong image in the reader’s mind as it captures images from an unimaginable world full of violence, fear and sometimes beauty.
Summary Of The Boston Photographs By Nora Ephron
1202 Words | 5 PagesA professional reporter, editor, or photographer will naturally have a different perspective of photos of a failed rescue attempt. They are exposed to similar photos and stories on a regular basis. Instead of being seen as individuals, the subjects in these shots are seen as newsworthy, action-filled content. Stanley Forman himself said in an article written after the incident that, “except for the tragedy itself, the whole experience has been fantastic. Other newsmen will know what I mean, even if a lot of crack letter writers do not.”
Truth About War Photography
1099 Words | 5 PagesIn some World Wars they threaten national survivals and therefore reports and photographs are released and published were they intended to create a sense of morale or to just keep the war effort going. For example, “One answer lies in the contemporary acclaim for photography as a truth-telling art”(Marwil,Jonathan). They say that because some photos of the war tells the truth as to what happen and some photos don’t and with photography you will always know the truth. Some reports and photos that are published from these photojournalists need to carry a certain amount of truth to inform the public in different places so people will know the truth instead of the lies. Some argue that reality is a like a videogame, but in this case it is not and people need to know about the war.
The War Photo No One Would Publish Summary
1503 Words | 7 PagesSometimes though, omitting an image means shielding the public from the messy, imprecise consequences of war- making the coverage incomplete and even deceptive.” (Daghett 2) This reflection shows that Daghett does not want graphic imagery to be shown merely for shock value, but rather that she believes it has an instrumental role in keeping the public informed and aware. While a noble thought, there are many questions that can be raised from this sentiment. For example, what would factor into determining what photos are necessary or unnecessary for the public to see?
Woodsong Gary Paulsen Character Analysis
840 Words | 4 PagesWith the use of imagery, Gary Paulsen shows us that the outdoors is unpredictable. Furthermore, with the help of description, the reader can experience what it's like being in Gary Paulsen's shoes without going through the cruel, frigid temperatures and gruesome deaths. Finally Paulsen can change the mood with his words faster than you can say WOODSONG! While nature is also mesmerizing, it can still surprise you with memorable casualties that can cause an unanticipated turn. Paulsen starts off by taking us to "a grandly beautiful winter morning, the
Matthew Brady's Photography During The Civil War
929 Words | 4 PagesA reporter once said that as people looked at photos they would sometimes see their son, husband, wife or loved one dead in the battle field ("Matthew Brady Photographer"). Seeing a deceased loved one is difficult, but seeing their lifeless body in a picture is even harder. Having photos taken showed the people that the war needed to end and that no one else needed to
Ethical Arguments Against Police Brutality
772 Words | 4 PagesThe reason as to why police brutality is unethical is simple. It kills a lot of people and is not necessary. However, what are the reasons as to why police brutality has become such a problem in the United States? One can argue the police officers take advantage of how much authority their occupation comprises of. If a cop shoots and murders a person, they claim that they were using self-defense or some other kind of excuse.
The Memory Keeper's Daughter Analysis
1346 Words | 6 PagesA photograph is more than just a simple image; it tells a story. A story beyond a particular moment in time, it holds secrets and memories. The eagerness to comprise a moment in the perfect shot seems to become an obsession for many. In Kim Edwards ' novel The Memory Keeper 's Daughter, Edwards uses photography as a motif which coincides with the novel 's idea of secrets. David Henry, the antagonist of the novel, becomes fascinated with photography after choosing to give away his daughter and compresses his guilt with photography.
Vulture During The Sudan Famine
241 Words | 1 Pages‘Vulture stalking a child’ was one of the most iconic photographs taken during the Sudan famine, this photograph questioned the morals and the ethics of the photographer, Kevin Carter, and in a sence the audience with their initial reaction. The idea that this act of nature was not set up and was actually happening during the famine creates a horrific image where an audience from developed countries could not comprehend as they have not experienced anything like this. The composition of the vulture looking down at the child waiting for her to decease The decaying environment along with the decaying colours adds to the theme of this photograph which relates to death, disaster, tragedy etc.
Essay On Public Relations Ethics
1430 Words | 6 PagesHuang (2001) said that these codes are crucial for public relations to be granted a status as a bona-fide profession. The codes strive to give guidance to public relation practitioners in order to help them to act in a practical and professional manner. However even though these codes are fashioned to satisfy universal conditions and principles (Kruckeberg, 1993), many scholars like (Parkinson, 2001; Wright, 1993) voiced out their opinion that the codes fall short of the ideas promoted in the codes, or even being internally conflicting. Many other practitioners have also voiced their opinion that the code of ethics is too vague to be useful, and that it does not give enough specifications (Bowen,
Kevin Carter Ethical Issues
631 Words | 3 PagesWhile photographing, they witnessed terrible actions such as murders, stabbings, necklacing, and many other horrendous acts (5).
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