JOURNALISM ETHICS & ISSUES

CLASS #22 | JRNL 4650 | FALL 2016

• Instructor: Bill Mitchell

• bmitch (at) gmail (dot) com

• 727-641-9407

• 22 November 2016 | Northeastern Univ.

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WHAT WE’LL DO TODAY

• Review of Foreman Chapter 19: Issues specific to visual

journalism

• Discussion with Cristela Guerra

• Upcoming assignments

• Reminder: Advancing a story assignment due end of day

Tuesday Nov. 29

• After class: Opportunity to discuss Advancing a Story or your

final papers (Deadline extended to end of day Dec. 12)

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SOME WAYS TO ADVANCE A STORY

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• Correct something (include documentation of the

original error, your efforts to get it corrected – by email,

Twitter, etc. – and what, if anything resulted)

• Suggest a new angle or follow-up in a comment

attached to the article, phone conversation with the

reporter, etc. (include documentation or, in the case of

phone conversation, description of your interaction)

SOME WAYS TO ADVANCE A STORY,

CONTINUED

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• Use the original story as a peg or jumping off point

to write your own story or blog post

• Alert a policy-maker to a story you believe helps

make the case for or against a public policy you’d like

enacted or avoided

• Initiate a conversation on social media or elsewhere

about a story you regard as worthy of further

consideration

HOW TO ADVANCE THIS STORY?

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EXAMPLES OF READERS

ADVANCING A STORY

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EXAMPLES OF READERS

ADVANCING A STORY, CONT.

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CHAPTER 19

Ethics Issues

Specific to Visual

JournalismFollowing slides from Wiley & Sons Instructor Resources

A HISTORY OF DISTORTION

• Photographic distortion may be easier in the digital age, but it is not a new phenomenon.

• Photography was invented in 1839–40.

• The first instance of distortion – a faked photograph – appeared in the same period.

FIRST KNOWN EXAMPLE

OF A FAKED PHOTO

10From Hoaxes.org

TWO WAYS TO DECEIVE

• Stage-managing the scene being photographed.

• Altering the content or context of an otherwise authentic photograph.

BRIAN WALSKI’S COMPOSITE IMAGE

FROM IRAQ, 2003

12Photo of Times front page from slate.com

13Compiled by Bronx Documentary Center

STANDARDS FOR STILL PHOTOS

The consensus standard is a zero tolerance of digital manipulation in news photographs, no matter how benign. Here’s why:

• “Zero” is easily understood and inflexible.

• A flexible standard would lead to a slippery slope.

PERMISSIBLE ADJUSTMENTS

• The consensus allows “burning,” “dodging,” and “toning.”

• The purpose is to help the audience see what the photographer saw.

POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS

• Posed photographs are acceptable if the posing is obvious.

• An example: Photographing an automobile executive in front of the assembly line.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS

• A photo illustration is “a work of fictional

imagery,” often seen in food and fashion photography.

• It should be self-evident; readers should know that what they are seeing is not real.

• In journalism, the concept of photo illustrations remains controversial.

“PHOTO ILLUSTRATION”

OF REAGAN’S TEAR

TIME, 2007

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MAGAZINE COVERS• For their cover photos, magazine art

directors routinely depart from the standards of documentary photography.

• Are these cover photos journalism, or are they merely commercial devices?

STANDARDS IN NEWS VIDEO

• Don’t add sounds that did not exist in the

original.

• Add music judiciously.

• Be careful about slow motion and other special effects.

POSING IN NEWS VIDEO

Stage-managing standards are looser than in print. There are three kinds of posing:

• for convenience of editing;

• for convenience of time;

• for convenience of story.

OFFENSIVE CONTENT IN PHOTOS

The audience reacts negatively to:

• graphic violence;

• dead bodies;

• nudity;

• indecent behavior;

• perceived invasion of privacy;

• juveniles performing dangerous acts.

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FACTORS TO CONSIDER

• The scale of the event. The bigger the event, the less likely the audience will be offended.

• Who is involved. The audience objects to perceived embarrassment of ordinary people thrust into the news, and to graphic photos in which the person pictured does not survive.

REAL-TIME EXPLANATIONS

• Some journalists add to graphic photos an explanation of why they think the public should see them.

• Pro: It’s a matter of accountability and transparency.

• Con: This might suggest, erroneously, that, where a photo offends and there is no explanation, the editors didn’t consider the audience.

INTRUSION BY PHOTOJOURNALISTS

• Because their equipment cannot be hidden like a reporter’s notebook, photojournalists often have to justify their presence.

• Sometimes, as in the case of the McAuliffe memorial services, photojournalists can ruin an event by their presence.

RADIO BOSTON ON THE HBO

MARATHON BOMBING DOCUMENTARY

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• Discussion of Photographer John Tlumacki at 9.25

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EXAMPLES OF READERS

ADVANCING A STORY

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EXAMPLES OF READERS

ADVANCING A STORY, CONT.

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UCPOMING ASSIGNMENTS

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• Nov. 29 Class: Read ethics guidelines of the Center for Investigative Reporting: http://cironline.org/ethics-guide

• Nov. 29 Class: Read (or re-read) Foreman Chapter 16: Deception, a Controversial Reporting Tool

• Nov. 29 end of day: Advancing a Story assignment due

• Dec. 1 Class: Familiarize yourself with David Beard’s Twitter feed & come to class w/ at least 1 question for him about how he uses the tool & why

• Dec. 6 Class: Prepare a 3 minute summary of your final paper (due end of day Dec. 12). This presentation will count toward your class participation points. Details TK