The Ethics of Photo and Video Journalism Case Study

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

The Case Summary

A computer soft corporation is considering a site that includes a homeless shelter as a site for a new plant. The representatives of the local newspaper are concerned about the future of the homeless people because there are no other available locations in the city for a new shelter. For this reason, they decide to create a photo report about the peculiarities of homeless people’s lives in the shelter featuring a few photos with a strong appeal to the public. However, the homeless people are not willing to pose for the photographer, and he ends up having no relevant material to offer to the editor before the deadline. An important detail in this situation is the fact the photographer sees the pain of these afflicted ones, and he is motivated to do his best to depict this pain in his works, but he finds no way to do so honestly because of the negative reaction of the homeless people. Being under pressure to complete the task, the photographer finds no other way to solve the problem but to invite his friends and ask them to dress like homeless people and pose for him so that he could take the forcible pictures of struggles that homeless people have in their efforts to survive. The editor is so impressed with the photographer’s work that he places one of his photos on the cover page of the newspaper. The rest of the images are placed inside the newspaper as a two-page photo essay revealing the problems of homeless people’s living. When the newspaper is sold, the editor’s office and the corporation are bombarded by petitions from the readers to locate the new plant elsewhere. Later that day, the corporate executives announce their decision to place their new plant in a different city.

Core Ethical Issues Addressed in the Case

The core ethical issues in this case are:

  1. Was the strategy that the photographer implemented while taking the photos approved by the peculiarities of the situation including the negative reaction from the homeless people themselves?
  2. Are the means used by the photographer in this case justified by the positive outcomes?
  3. Is it appropriate for a news photographer to voice one’s vision of the subject matter under consideration in one’s images?
  4. Should the photographer inform the newspaper management that he has faced problems preventing fulfilling the assignment ethically?
  5. Should the photographer take the images of the homeless people despite their protests?
  6. Should the photographer inform the editor about the exact strategies that have been implemented for the task?

Problems Associated with Handling Ethical Issues in the Case

This case has a variety of problems that the photographer has faced. Firstly, the need for photo material from him was urgent because the decision to build was already announced and there were only a couple of days to affect it; so, the photographer did not have an option to spend much time conducting negotiations with the homeless people to receive their agreement in an honest way. Also, the photographer was initially informed by the editor regarding the sort of images that were needed, and for that reason, he was originally put into a controversial situation by the editor himself. Thus, the probability to appear in a troublesome condition for the photographer was significant even before he went to the location of a homeless shelter.

Suggestions regarding Alternative Ethical Solutions of the Issues in the Case

The situation, in which the photographer has appeared, can be really qualified as a rather complicated one. However, there were still some options for him available to resolve the situation in a more ethically approved way. At first, the photographer might try to have better contact with the homeless people, and explain to them why it was in their best interests to allow the photographer to do his job properly. Of course, this strategy might not lead to any positive results because homeless people demonstrated their indifference, and that was a normal position for them as depression and apathy were their regular emotions. Thus, the photographer would have to inform the editor about the state of affairs to let him decide what to do next as solving such problems as the one that the photographer had faced was in the jurisdiction of the management. In informing the editor about the peculiarities of the situation, the photographer could share his own vision of it along with the pain he felt for the afflicted ones as that would help the editor to make the right decision. The profession of reporters and photographers requires sharing their own view of the world (of course, without bias and discrimination), and thus, informing the editor about the feelings that the photographer had after visiting the homeless shelter was ethically justified, just as showing those feelings to the wide public in the images.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2022, May 8). The Ethics of Photo and Video Journalism. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-ethics-of-photo-and-video-journalism/

Work Cited

"The Ethics of Photo and Video Journalism." IvyPanda, 8 May 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/the-ethics-of-photo-and-video-journalism/.

References

IvyPanda. (2022) 'The Ethics of Photo and Video Journalism'. 8 May.

References

IvyPanda. 2022. "The Ethics of Photo and Video Journalism." May 8, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-ethics-of-photo-and-video-journalism/.

1. IvyPanda. "The Ethics of Photo and Video Journalism." May 8, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-ethics-of-photo-and-video-journalism/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "The Ethics of Photo and Video Journalism." May 8, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-ethics-of-photo-and-video-journalism/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1