Introduction
Working Thesis; A debatable issue in today’s context with media outlets is whether the news photographs are getting an ethical assessment, especially in the age of social media, which is a new player in today’s online world for information sharing.
Digital platforms have revolutionized people’s approach to news, in which images serve as powerful media in creating public opinion and understanding. Depicting the critical debate that Hawking, Glaser, and Strupp provide, this paper looks at the ethical dilemma posed, examining a news photo and basing an example on the case of the US evacuation plan for the Americans stuck in Haiti. Regarding the aftermath of natural catastrophes, security conflicts, or humanitarian crises, depictions of individuals and communities in the mass media heavily affect people’s opinions and policy responses. In this essay, I will bring the understanding of consent, dignity, representation, and the perils of sensationalism surrounding these pictures, which attempts to offer a nuanced view of the myriad of issues that many such pictures carry with them. Through questioning the ethical dilemmas as described by Hawking, Glaser, and Strupp, we anchor our digital photography based on sensitivity while working under the auspices of responsibility, in the process making sure that victims and eyewitnesses have their voices and experiences treated well with the same respect as they deserve.
It becomes critical to critically analyze the moral implications of taking these images, given their context, which mainly involves those who are in dire situations. Considering Hawking, Glaser, and Strupp’s contemplation of ethics in catastrophe, we can travel smoothly and act more responsibly when we take pictures of disasters and feel people’s sensitivity and dignity. Specifically, the image should be analyzed a lot to determine if the setting of the image remains on. And whether it still signifies what they claim it is associated with. As proof, Dr. Hawking points out that disaster photography is ethical towards human puzzlement, thus precisely depicting the suffering (Alfano and Brien, p.478). The image in question, we would assume, would depict an ongoing picture of an evacuation exercise in Haiti and would consequently be fraught with chaos and panic. While it is evident that the visual is essential to portray the seriousness of the situation, without proper contextualization, it becomes difficult to verify the authenticity of the image and guarantee whether it accurately depicts the situation on the ground. Grave imprecisions regarding when, where, and under what circumstances this happened removed bearing and the broader sense of the Haitian crisis context. Also, ethical issues are involved in the issue of such pictures, which must be the dignity and privacy of those involved in images being open to the public. Therefore, questions of consent informed consent arise in the distribution of news imagery. If the people in the picture did not know that someone was photographing them and did not consent to their images getting used on the internet, then we could say they had no right to privacy (Alfano and Brien, p.478). Without direct permission to do so, there is a danger of manipulation and disregard of the subject’s autonomy, which may be especially dangerous in cases of intimidation and vulnerability among the subjects’ extreme states. For that reason, a profound analysis of the case leading to the image’s taking is an important step to help assess the ethical aspects of their validity.
Strupp’s evaluation of the picture features the power of images in stirring up close and personal responses and framing well-known appraisals. Because of the American rescue mission in Haiti, the spread of the image holds an enormous burden in affecting the group’s impression of the public power’s response and the feasibility of the clearing plan, perhaps inviting both assistance and examination. In any case, moral concerns enveloping the image cannot be confined to the primary exhibit of picture-taking and the decision to convey it. They loosen up to the perplexing impacts it could have on the portrayed subjects and the more excellent neighborhood. From being shared utilizing virtual diversion stages to being covered by conventional press outlets, and even to its blend into the understanding that the public could decipher what is happening in Haiti, the image plays a huge part in framing swarm comprehension about the nonstop crisis.
Furthermore, examinations like framing, setting, and recognizing verification are erratically associated with the image, influencing how groups see and translate it. Similarly, applying moral practices in creating and spreading such pictures becomes essential. Ideally, condemning the ethical thought of the news picture requires exploring its inclination toward visual substance and the more significant outcomes it could include (Alfano and Brien, p.485). This consolidates taking a gander at the commitments of media specialists and clients while sharing such pictures, considering the expected consequences for both the subjects depicted and the more extraordinary story, including the disaster. By taking part in fundamental reflection and keeping up with moral standards during the most widely recognized approach to making and sharing news pictures, media experts can ease the hurt and ensure that the pride and opportunities surprisingly included are respected.
Identification of the intent behind the image production will be another issue that needs to be addressed (Alfano and Brien, pp.489). Glaser’s distinction between citizen journalism and citizen paparazzi permeates terms questioning those behind the photographing and releasing pictures as news. While it is a case that citizen journalists may be looking to produce news for the sake of the inhabitants, they are endangering the screen between an incident and the voyeuristic acts of exhibitionism. In line with the case of the US depopulation plan in Haiti, the image may be seen as a way of shining light on cases related to humanitarian crises or boosting sensationalism, clickbait as a booster. Due to this, verifying whether the printing of the image is mainly for good or bad reasons is the main factor in determining the ethical legitimacy of the image. Elements like the actual setting where the image was shot, a linkage of the photographer with a group, and editorial choices made by news channels all define and affect the story and the picture. According to (Alfano and Brien, p.489). Reflection on the social-political context in which the image was used in the US foreign policy towards Haiti, which could have impacted how the media and the general public viewed Haitians, will shed more light on the intention behind the image utilization. Such an inspection that focuses on the intentions of why the picture is published will enable us to determine the ethics behind the image’s publication and avoid using the existence of human misery as a chance to show off casualness.
Conclusion
The ethical evaluation of a news photo can be enacted by careful dissection of its background, contents, and the consequences that may arise for the subjects and the viewer. As Hawking, Glaser, and Strupp have suggested, we can subjectively postulate the themes the news image behind the story in the First post adheres to and its ethical values, such as consent, dignity, and representation. Through reflective thinking and meaningful argument, we can uphold the ethics of disaster photography, considering that people affected by disaster, either individuals or groups, should be contextually addressed in a way that would ensure that they are treated with dignity and sensitivity.
Work Cited
Glaser, Mark. “Did London Bombings Turn Journalist into Citizen Paparazzi?” Envision in Depth: Reading, Writing, and Researching Arguments, edited by Christine L. Alfano and Alyssa J. O’Brien,4th ed., Pearson Education Inc,2018, pp. 487-491.
Hawking, Tom. “The Ethics of Disaster Photography in the Age of Social Media,” Envision in Depth: Reading, Writing, and Researching Arguments, edited by Christine L. Alfano and Alyssa J. O’Brien,4th ed., Pearson Education Inc,2018, pp.477-480.
https://www.firstpost.com/world/us-announces-plan-to-evacuate-citizens-stranded-in-haiti-13749739.html
Strupp, Joe. “The Photo Felt Around the World” Envision in Depth: Reading, Writing, and Researching Arguments, edited by Christine L. Alfano and Alyssa J. O’Brien,4th ed., Pearson Education Inc,2018, pp. 484-486.
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