Download Social Responsibility in Photojournalism

Social Responsibility in
Photojournalism
Social Responsibility
Social responsibility is an ethical
ideology or theory that an entity, be it
an organization or individual, has an
obligation to act to benefit society at
large.
What are some examples of social
responsibility?
Social Responsibility
Examples:
* Lewis Hines and Jacob Riis - Child Labor
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma01/davis/photography/home/home.html
* Bruce Davidson - The Civil Rights Movement - http://www.flavorwire.
com/249320/10-essential-civil-rights-movement-photographers#1
http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?
VP3=CMS3&VF=MAGO31_10_VForm&ERID=24KL53ZTH6
* William Burroughs - Vietnam
* James Nachtwey - Crimes Against Children/Rwanda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_vXfW94Xkc
http://www.ted.com/talks/james_nachtwey_s_searing_pictures_of_war.html
Social Responsibility
Examples:
* Sebastio Salgado - http://www.unicef.org/salgado/
http://www.ted.
com/talks/sebastiao_salgado_the_silent_drama_of_photography.html
* Mathew Brady/ Timothy Sullivan - Civil War photography
www.civilwarphotography.org
* Dorothea Lange- The Great Depression
http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/water_14.html
Issue Reporting Today
http://www.poyi.org
Issue Reporting Today
Pictures of the Year International is a photo contest that
focuses largely on news reporting from the past year.
Often some of the most important social issues are
highlighted in the contest. Look over the news categories
and identify what social issues are being addressed.
What is the purpose of reporting on
social issues?
What is the purpose of reporting on
social issues?
Creating Activists Through Journalism!
Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, or direct
social, political, economic, or environmental change.
Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters
to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning,
economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially
patronizing businesses, rallies, street marches, strikes, sitins, and hunger strikes. This is what Lewis Hines acheived
when he helped eliminate child labor.
Issue Reporting
What is an issue?
Issue Reporting
Issue or crisis reporting most often means
photojournalists are covering local or global
issues that affect human rights or the
environment.
Below is a link to some award-winning issue
and crisis reporting photography.
http://www.poyi.org/70/winners.php
https://www.nppa.org/spotlight/109
Issues With Ethics
When journalists are covering human rights
issues, ethics can often come into play.
What are ethics?
1. A system of moral principles: the ethics of a culture.
2. The rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular
class of human actions or a particular group, culture, etc.:
medical ethics; Christian ethics.
3. Moral principles, as of an individual: His ethics forbade
betrayal of a confidence.
Issues With Ethics
When is it okay to take photos of someone who is dead?
When is it okay to take photos of someone being physically abused?
When is it okay to photograph harm being done to a child?
When is it okay to photograph someone who is starving?
When is it okay to photograph someone who is mourning the death of a
loved one?
When is it okay to photograph a funeral?
When is it okay to photograph criminal behavior?
When is it okay to photograph sacred religious rituals?