Thinking about issues in photojournalism and design.

1. Visual ethics
Thinking about issues in
photojournalism and design

2. NPPA Code of Ethics
• “Think proactively, as a student of psychology,
sociology, politics and art to develop a unique
vision and presentation. Work with a voracious
appetite for current events and contemporary
visual media.”

3. NPPA Code of Ethics
• “Think proactively, as a student of psychology,
sociology, politics and art to develop a unique
vision and presentation. Work with a voracious
appetite for current events and contemporary
visual media.”
• What do you think that means?

4. Obama restrictions

5. Obama restrictions
“The right of journalists to gather the news is most
critical when covering government officials acting in
their official capacities. Previous administrations
have recognized this, and have granted press access
to visually cover precisely these types of events, thus
creating government transparency.”
—NPPA

6. Free versus professional

7. Free versus professional
• Gage Skidmore, an amateur photographer, shoots
pictures of presidential candidates and other
political figures and makes them available for free
with under a Creative Commons license. It’s not an
exaggeration to say that Skidmore single-handedly
destroyed the market for professional
photojournalism. (See:
https://www.niemanlab.org/2012/09/how-a-19-
year-old-student-became-one-of-the-hottest-
political-photographers-in-the-country/)
• What is lost?

8. Brian Walski

9. Brian Walski

10. Time and Newsweek

11. Racial stereotyping

12. Context matters

13. Context matters

14. Executions by terrorists

15. Family considerations