Thanks Tina. I heard a quote from Wycliffe Jean tonight on TV, apparently some Haitians he's involved with ( I assume living in the US) asked him to tell his audience they don't need any more photo ops. They need aid. When does covering the news cross the line into the realm of exploitation of the despair and pain of the people involved? I don't mean to be argumentative and I know this is an age old question but as photo journalists, when/how do you draw that line?
I agree that it's a fine line, but if there was no coverage of the problems in Haiti, there would be no aid and none of the millions of dollars in spontaneous contributions by people who see the photos. A small pool of journalists representing many markets would be ideal, if it could somehow be fair and truly representative.
I agree that it's a fine line, but if there was no coverage of the problems in Haiti, there would be no aid and none of the millions of dollars in spontaneous contributions by people who see the photos. A small pool of journalists representing many markets would be ideal, if it could somehow be fair and truly representative.
Tina
I'd go further and suggest that the day the photographers and tv crews leave, the aid stops. And I would not advocate pool coverage.
I'd go further and suggest that the day the photographers and tv crews leave, the aid stops. And I would not advocate pool coverage.
Why not pool coverage BD?
I brought the ethical photography issue up on another (non-photography) site, and not so much as one response. We (western world) live such sanitized lives that we don't even want to admit to the reality of what is involved in coping with such devastation - the really dark side of what happens to those who didn't survive. I've been thinking a lot about this the past few days. As horribly shocking as these photos are, perhaps we need to see them to shake us out of our complacency, reaching for the cheque book to make a donation and then going blissfully back to our insular lives. Just a few thoughts...
The use of a camera is similar to that of a knife. You can use it to peel potatoes, or carve a flute. ~ E. Kahlmeyer
... I'm still peeling potatoes.
Comments
I agree that it's a fine line, but if there was no coverage of the problems in Haiti, there would be no aid and none of the millions of dollars in spontaneous contributions by people who see the photos. A small pool of journalists representing many markets would be ideal, if it could somehow be fair and truly representative.
Tina
www.tinamanley.com
I'd go further and suggest that the day the photographers and tv crews leave, the aid stops. And I would not advocate pool coverage.
"He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan
"The more ambiguous the photograph is, the better it is..." Leonard Freed
Why not pool coverage BD?
I brought the ethical photography issue up on another (non-photography) site, and not so much as one response. We (western world) live such sanitized lives that we don't even want to admit to the reality of what is involved in coping with such devastation - the really dark side of what happens to those who didn't survive. I've been thinking a lot about this the past few days. As horribly shocking as these photos are, perhaps we need to see them to shake us out of our complacency, reaching for the cheque book to make a donation and then going blissfully back to our insular lives. Just a few thoughts...
... I'm still peeling potatoes.
patti hinton photography