The Ethics of Photojournalism

The Ethics of Photojournalism

my personal ethics map

I chose an image I found while browsing the websites given to us in the assignment. I found this image and the story behind it so unethical that I wanted to share it with the reader's.

photo by : Brian Walski

http://www.fourandsix.com/photo-tampering-history/tag/media?currentPage=2

       Brian submitted this photo of a British Soldier in Basra to the Los Angeles Times where it appeared on the front cover. The British soldier was a digital composite placed into the photo with the Iraqi civilians.
        This image was posted after the U.S invaded Iraq. According to FourandSix.com "Brian a staff photographer for the Los Angeles Times and a 30-year veteran of the news business, was fired after his editors discovered that he had combined two of his photographs to “improve” the composition."

       Personally doing something such as what Brian did for personal gain is morally wrong. It goes against my personal ethics which included integrity, respect, and caring. You are a respected 30 year veteran in your field and you go a head and create a false "story" The soldier wasn't their gesturing to the civilian's he was edited into that picture to make a great story. It did make it on the front cover of the LA Times, but from dishonesty. 
     This goes against my personal ethics of integrity. When someone thinks more about the $ sign and not about the people they could offend their careless. I could never imagine myself doing something like this to make some money. It shows a soldier in the photo's who seems to be caring, he gestures to the citizens maybe to stop and be careful, or to be safe. Who know's, but we now know that, that never happened. He never was caring or being helpful the image was doctored.