The First Amendment is the foundation of the country and the profession of journalism. It allows for a free press, which separates the United States from several other countries. The First Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Freedom of the press also applies to photojournalism. It allows them to photograph and report on information useful to the public. In addition to the legally binding aspects of the profession such as not committing libel, there are ethical boundaries that every journalist should abide by. Laws are rules that if unfollowed could lead to fines and/or imprisonment, while ethical violations will not lead to a conviction they can lead to the loss of a job and credibility. In traditional print or broadcast journalism ethics are properly sourcing articles, not doctoring quotes and not lying or omitting information. There are also ethical guidelines for photojournalist.
Photojournalists are not to over-edit or doctor their photos beyond cropping unnecessary borders and adjusting lighting or color. The average time a photojournalist should spend editing a photo should be two minutes or less. The goal is to capture the moment with integrity just as it is. Photojournalists should not add elements to photographs, take an element from another photo and add it in and/or remove elements from a photograph beyond basic cropping. Hiring friends or family to pose as models is also unethical, just as a print journalist would not interview their family or friends for an article neither should a photojournalist use them for a photo. It is also unethical to stage photos. For example, if one was trying to capture a cheer stunt and missed the shot, it would be unethical to request the subjects do the stunt again. It is the photojournalist's responsibility to catch the moments as they happen and not set them up. Photojournalist are also prohibited from receiving favors on the job. Items such as meals, game/concert tickets, free t-shirts, etc. should not be accepted by a photojournalist on the job.
The National Press Photographers Association has a code of ethics that it promotes for its members and all photojournalist to abide by. There are 17 guidelines the NPPA suggests that photojournalist practice. In addition to some of the ethical violations mentioned above, some other guidelines include not intentionally sabotaging other photojournalist, respecting the integrity of the moments being photographed, not paying or rewarding sources or subjects among other rules.
An example of ethical violations costing a photojournalist their job is Allan Detrich, an award-winning photojournalist for The Toledo Blade. He was found doctoring his photographs and had to resign from his position. While he was once a celebrated photojournalist he now serves as a disgraced example of what not to do.
As a student photojournalist, it is my goal to abide by ethical guidelines to take my own photos, to limit editing to only crops and color adjustments and to capture to moment with integrity – not adding or subtracting necessary items.
#First Amendment #pressfreedom #journalismethics #lawandethics
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