Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Photo Ethics

Several photos, all of which are graphic in nature and emotionally disturbing, can be viewed here.
The question at hand is; are any of these photos appropriate for publication?

The first set is a series of photos of a man before and after committing suicide-a certain R. Budd Dwyer who the following day was to be sentenced for receiving $300,000 in kickbacks. I wouldn't publish any of these if I worked for a Newspaper. Sure, the man was corrupt to the core, but he still has a family, and most importantly, he's a human being. A paper could report the incident and let readers draw their own conclusions. This is the job of the media-to inform. Photographing a man during his pathetic end and publishing it for all to see is simply unethical in my opinion.

The next photo shows a child agonizing over the death of his dog, which was killed by a car. The photo is entirely personal. Publishing the photo would serve no purpose.

For similar reasons, I wouldn't publish the next photo. A family in despair over their son's death is as personal as you can get. Publishing this would only cause further damage.

The next photo is a little more debatable. A disgruntled employee going haywire and murdering 7 individuals with a AK-47 is extremely newsworthy. Questions of what the motive was and whether or not there were signs leading up to the event could be reported on extensively. I think that with the family's consent, publication of this photo would be warrented. It gives readers a detailed and graphic view of what occured that words simply can't describe.

The picture of the boy, who was likely in an incredible amount of pain, should not be published. It's innapropriate for publication in my opinion not because of the injury (he survived), but because it would sicken readers.

I wrestled with the last photo more than any of the others. Although the photo is highly personal, it gets at a large issue. To learn about the societal consequences of debaucherous and binge-oriented celebrations, a person does not need to read a study or an article, he needs only to look at this picture. This is an instance where a picture does indeed speak louder than words, and with the consent of the victimized woman I would publish it. The rights of the men involved wouldn't concern me, and I imagine they would be too ashamed to protest.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

BBC World News

It seems I have a general theme for this blog, that being a brief analysis of various media outlets. Sticking with that theme, this week I'd like to blog about the BBC's online news site. This is my favorite "news" source on the web. For some reason I find the stories to be refreshing. They are a way to get away from the same AP stories, arranged in different ways, that seem dominate American media.
The site is easy to navigate and features excellent multimedia, such as this video of a
Gaza father's reaction to finding out one of his daughters is still alive, or these pictures of the Cambodia Tribunal in progress. The site covers an impressively broad spectrum of news from around the world. For those interested in world events and news, I can think of no better source.
The BBC, like NPR or PBS, obtains funding from its government. In the BBC's case, a chunk of funding comes from tax revenue gained from the purchase of TV's and radios. The BBC is not identical to outlets like NPR, but it seems to benefit from the abscence of commercail influence just as NPR does. Personally, I prefer these types of commercially independent media platforms to traditional American press, but an opposing viewpoint can be found here.

Fellow J420 students: let me know what you think of this issue. Is profit-driven media able to remain accountable and fair? Are alternatives like NPR "independent" even though they receive govt. funding. This is an issue that I would expect you guys to be just as concerned about as I am.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

The Big Picture

Those interested in journalism and particularly photo-journalism should check this website out! The site is a frequently updated picture gallery hosted by the Boston Globe's webpage, boston.com. It's a sort of visual guide to what's going on around the world.
Interestingly, most of the photos are not taken by or owned by the Boston Globe. They are licensed to the Globe from companies like Reuters, AP and Getty Images. Private photographers are also occasionally post their work as well. The photography is all quite stunning, and what's more the site archives old photos! You can literally spend hours browsing through.
Although a print major myself, I imagine sites like this do wonders for the world of photo-journalism. It gives large companies and freelancers alike the ability to show their work to a gigantic audience.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

NPR's Music and News

What drew me to NPR initially was the music coverage. The music programming is, like much of their programming, extremely edgy and stimulating. Their podcast All Song Considered includes previews of fresh new artists as well as guest dj and interview segments. On air coverage includes live concerts and new songs from classical and world music artists. Their taste in artists is excellent as well as bold. I would have never thought it, but along with blogs and other music news websites, it is an excellent source for discovering new artists. I discovered the tragic folk of Bon Iver, the northwestern soul of Delta Spirit and the rich, Balkan music of Beirut all on NPR's programming.

What started as an interest in their music programming has recently spilled over to their general programming as well. I find it to be just as intriguing. What's funny is that the way they cover music is likely modeled after the way they've been covering news for the last few decades. NPR, more than any other news platform, seems to care deeply about the audience. NPR's goals and information on where they stand on reporting can be found in their Code of Ethics and Practices. The most obvious difference between NPR and other news mediums is NPR's lack of dependence on advertising revenue. Revenue is instead generated from govrnment funding and donations from listeners and corporations.

The difference in ideology and funding makes a big difference. Stories are true to life and above all fair. In my opinion, it's how news should be done.