Above Image by Kevin Carter
“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.”
― Dorothea Lange
After listening to this report yesterday on the BBC Newshour on KPCC, I’m finding myself wracked with thoughts of ethical photojournalism, what it is, and can there truly be such a thing. I’m sure by now you’ve heard about the NY Post’s Doomed cover story, complete with an image of a man mere seconds from being hit by an oncoming subway car, moments away from death. This image, and the actions of photographer R. Umar Abassi have sparked much debate and controversy. Why did no one help? Was there any possibility that he could have been saved?
I am reminded of the tragic story of award-winning photojournalist Kevin Carter, whose harrowing portrait (above) of a vulture watching over a child dying from starvation, captured while on a quest to expose the mass starvation happening in the Sudan, caused such outcry and that he later committed suicide over severe criticism and his own inability to accept his role as witness, not as savior.
But if the goal of a photojournalist is to present the world with information so as to affect change, to call a people to action – is that goal met if when facing that very such situation the photographer stands idly by and does nothing?
From The Center for Journalism Ethics:
Pictures are worth 1,000 words – in the newspaper business that equals about 25 inches of print. Images are one of the most powerful forms of communication, especially in journalism. One image or sound can summarize an event or person or motivate a nation; one image can upset people more than endless pages of print on the subject. Kenneth F. Irby from the Poynter Institute describes photojournalism as “the craft of employing photographic storytelling to document life: it is universal and transcends cultural and language bounds.” - By Carolynne Burkholder
Coincidentally I am currently reading (yes, it’s taking a while) Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits by Linda Gordon, a rich portrait of documentary photography at it’s best. Lange is best known for her work during the Great Depression, iconic images that opened the world up to the depth of poverty and suffering happening in the US. I am left wondering how hard it must be for a photographer to stand by and not intervene. The National Press Photographers Association has a Code of Ethics that lay out how a photojournalist should conduct themselves while working. I’m particularly struck by number 5…how hard it must be:
NPAA CODE OF ETHICS
Visual journalists and those who manage visual news productions are accountable for upholding the following standards in their daily work:
- Be accurate and comprehensive in the representation of subjects.
- Resist being manipulated by staged photo opportunities.
- Be complete and provide context when photographing or recording subjects. Avoid stereotyping individuals and groups. Recognize and work to avoid presenting one’s own biases in the work.
- Treat all subjects with respect and dignity. Give special consideration to vulnerable subjects and compassion to victims of crime or tragedy. Intrude on private moments of grief only when the public has an overriding and justifiable need to see.
- While photographing subjects do not intentionally contribute to, alter, or seek to alter or influence events.
- Editing should maintain the integrity of the photographic images’ content and context. Do not manipulate images or add or alter sound in any way that can mislead viewers or misrepresent subjects.
- Do not pay sources or subjects or reward them materially for information or participation.
- Do not accept gifts, favors, or compensation from those who might seek to influence coverage.
- Do not intentionally sabotage the efforts of other journalists.
Is perhaps the photograph more important than the life it captures?
What do you think?
See Abassi interviewed by Anderson Coper here, and read more about Kevin Carter here. Check out the documentary The Life of Kevin Carter here.
Wow. I’m torn to shreds. I had not seen either of these photos before. I was momentarily mad at you for posting the Kevin Carter photo. It’s now forever seared in my mind, I can’t stop thinking about her. But is the problem that you (or he) showed it to me or is the problem that she (and so many others) suffer like that? Personally, I don’t think there is any comparison between that photo and the subway photo, which feels like pure exploitation. The Kevin Carter photo forces us to face a horrific reality that exists every day for other humans on this planet and makes us question what we could do to stop it. Don’t shoot the messenger. Even though I kinda want to.
The irony that I am the one now sharing this photo is not lost on me, and is the very reason I chose not to show the NY Post photo, or cover, here on this blog. The Kevin Carter story is one I come back to often, and I hope that sharing the photo now honors his life and work, and that his efforts were not made in vain. I also hope that it serves as a juxtaposition for what I think is a horrific and shameful NY Post cover, and that the line in ethical photojournalism has been crossed. I do not begrudge the photographer his instinct to grab his camera and shoot, there were apparently many people closer to the victim who did nothing out of fear for their own lives. I was not there, and I can’t judge their actions. I agree that putting the photo on the cover was self-serving and exploitative – which is nothing new for the NY Post.