Photojournalism: What is it?

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Truth Be Told

Photojournalism is defined by dictionary.com as is a particular form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story. A partially unpredictable audience, in the sense that anyone can see it and respond, sees news articles; this opens a window of ethical issues that are involved in reporting images to newspapers and magazines. Awareness of the moral rights and wrongs of journalism helps society to better understand why certain details are censored for the public.

A mutual understanding of what stories are ethically reportable is valuable for both the photographers and the publishers. Information of decent standards is set to guide the moral beliefs of reporters. In the PHOTO JOURNALISM AND ITS ETHICAL ISSUES article, it conversed that Paul Martin Lester’s book, Photojournalism: An Ethical Approach, discussed the six philosophies that are meant to guide photojournalists to answering moral questions for themselves.

1. Categorical Imperative- What goes for one scenario should go for all.

2. Utilitarianism- maximizes the good for the greatest number of people.

3. Hedonism- “do what feels good” school of thought

4. The Golden Mean- Compromise to a middle ground.

5. The Veil of Ignorance- asks the photographer or publisher what they would feel like as the subject of the photo.

6. The Golden Rule- “love thy neighbor as thyself”

Also, there is an ethical code of conduct that was set by the National Press Photographers Association and is “intended to promote the highest quality in all forms of visual journalism and to strengthen public confidence in the profession” (NPPA Code of Ethics). Both the NPPA and Lester have high expectations of photojournalists. As photojournalists turn over images for pub...

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...o be told. In today’s society, people tip toe around striking emotional turmoil in other people’s lives. Photojournalists look to force people to ask themselves unsettling questions.

Works Cited

Meyer, Michael. “One day in the war of images.” Columbia Journalism Review Mar.- Apr. 2014: 39-45. Print.

Mirkinson, Jack. "Muammar Gaddafi Dead: Did Newspapers Go Too Far? (GRAPHIC PHOTOS, POLL)." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 21 Oct. 2011. Web. 07 May 2014.

"NPPA Code of Ethics." National Press Photographers Association. National Press Photographers Association, 2012. Web. 06 May 2014

"PHOTO JOURNALISM AND ITS ETHICAL ISSUES." PHOTO JOURNALISM AND ITS ETHICAL ISSUES. N.p., 25 June 2013. Web. 07 May 2014.

Rogers, Tony. "Graphic Images, Photojournalism - When Should Graphic Images Be Published?" About.com Journalism. About.com, 2014. Web. 07 May 2014.

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