To Run or Not To Run

Would you run these photos?

The only photos that I would run are the first and last; the one of the boy and his dog and the Fat Tuesday celebration. If any of the others ran, I would feel like I violated my own code of ethics.

What criteria did you use to make a decision?

I thought about the code of ethics that we discussed in class and the 10 questions that journalists should ask themselves when publishing a story/picture. The following three questions really got to me: “What are the possible consequences of my actions,” “What are my ethical concerns,” and “Can I explain my thinking to colleagues, shareholders and the public at large.” I do not know how I could explain to the family in the second photo why I thought the picture of their deceased son had any journalistic value, or why the public needed to see a young boy with a fence post going through his chin. For photos like these, I try and put myself in the place of the person who is being featured or his or her family and friends. If I can not imagine having that picture published of myself or someone I love, I can’t bring myself to publish the photo.

Under what circumstances would you run the photos?

I would be strongly opposed to running the photos, regardless of who else wanted to publish them. The only reason I would publish the photos were if after consulting with others, I was the only one who felt strongly about not publishing, or if someone contacted the person or the family of the person in the photo and they insisted the photo be published. Otherwise, I would still not run the photos since I do not think the public needs to see them to understand the severity of the story.

Would your decision be different if the events were local?

No I don’t think so. I would still use the same criteria, which would lead me to not run the photos. Actually, a local story would make me even more likely to not run the photos because even more people would know the person who is in the photo.

Does where or how you play the photo have any bearing on your decision?

No, once again I would use the same criteria, despite how the photo was being played. I would certainly not allow for any of the photos to run on the cover of any paper, not only because it goes against my own ethical standards, but also I would never want the public to think I am using someone else’s misery to sell papers.

With which photo did you struggle the most? Why?

I had trouble deciding whether or not to publish the Fat Tuesday photo. I ultimately decided to run it because the girl's face and identity are hidden, and in the rest of the photos, the person featured can clearly be seen. I also thought that I could explain why I published the photo. In my opinion, all the other photos only showed pain and misery and taught or informed the public of nothing. In the Fat Tuesday photo, I think that it shows how out of hand Mardi Gras celebrations can get, and might cause people to think about their actions more closely, or at least draw more security to the event in future years.