The Ethics of Photojournalism

The ethics of photojournalism has always had its controversies. Everyone has their own take on what ethics or morals are most important and in the photojournalism industry, it gets a little complicated. In the article Behind Closed Doors, the photojournalist Donna Ferrato takes pictures of a man beating his wife. Donna was a close friend of the couple and she was also into taking photographs. She would photograph the couple, the parties they had, and their lifestyle. One night things took a turn and Donna heard yelling and screaming. Once she got into the room she saw the husband beating the wife. She said “I took a picture, thinking he would stop but he kept going, he didn't care.” After that, things just got worse but Donna kept photographing everything that was going on. She photographed the beating, yelling, and the crying wife.

This is when the controversies come into play. Was Donna taking the pictures of the beating selfish and inconsiderate towards the wife? Or did Donna's photographs spread the word of domestic violence in private homes where the public eye is hidden? Photojournalists have this difficult decision to make, when taking photographs are okay to take or when they are simply inappropriate to take. Some people simply just wouldn't have the will power to stand there watching another person getting beaten while others see it from a different perspective. In an interview, Donna was asked about that night and she stated, “This is a cautionary to photographers who try to interfere with people's lives, you don't know what people are going to do.” While she was surprised and frightened, she continued taking the photographs. She later tried to get them published but no one wanted to publish them until she wrote a book about that night and got the photographs published. She tried to spread the word of violence and how people don't know what goes on behind closed doors. In a way, such a horrible night actually turned out to help others. 

Photo by : Donna Ferrato

Image source : http://100photos.time.com/photos/donna-ferrato-behind-closed-doors

Photo by : Donna Ferrato

Image source : https://time.com/5153687/domestic-abuse-photographs/

With my personal view on ethics, I wouldn't be able to stand their and take photographs of this situation. Some of the most important ethics to me are love, responsibility, respect, and trust. I believe that in this situation a lot of my most important ethics would not be displayed if I stood there taking photographs. I would feel like it's my duty to step in and try to stop the fighting to the best that I could, and if not, then I would reach out for help. Me trying to stop the fight would show love and trust towards the wife, especially if she was my friend. Also from one human to another, I feel like it is my responsibility to stand up for someone that is in a vulnerable state and can't do anything about a situation.

People have many different takes on when photographs are appropriate to take versus when they are not. Some photojournalistic images that have been taken at “inappropriate times” have had a lot of impact on a much bigger problem. So it's hard for photojournalists to make the right choices on when photographs can or can't be taken. Most photojournalists do have a code of ethics but sometimes they do break them for that perfect shot. Not to make that person uncomfortable or feel disrespected but for the bigger picture and for that bigger impact.