ETHICS MATTERS

A Monthly Column in News Photographer magazine

Deni Elliott, Director, The Practical Ethics Center
University of Montana
Paul Martin Lester, Professor, Department of Communications
California State University, Fullerton
(E-mail and home page)

NOTE to photojournalism and other educators:
Feel free to provide copies of these columns to
your students for use in class discussions.
2004
43) May
Issue: Ethics of Photojournalism
Taking Ethics Seriously:
To Err is Human

42) April
Issue: Manipulations
Reading and Seeing:
When Words and Pictures Collide

41) March
Issue: Manipulations
Fade to Black:
Ethical Practices A Matter Of What The Camera Saw

40) February
Issue: Critical Thinking
The Irony of the Iconic:
Considering the Need for Criticism

2003
39) December
Issue: A Range of Ethical Topics
A Year in Review:
Looking Back in Order to Look Forward

38) November
Issue: Definition of News
Journalistic Pandering:
Confusing Pop Culture with News

37) October
Issue: Manipulations
Manipulation: The Word We Love to Hate
Part Three

36) September
Issue: Manipulations
Manipulation: The Word We Love to Hate
Part Two

35) August
Issue: Manipulations
Manipulation: The Word We Love to Hate
An Investigation in Three Parts

34) July
Issue: Covering War
The Outrage of Governmental Distortion

33) June
Issue: Manipulation
Aesthetics vs. Ethics:
When Will We Ever Learn?

32) May
Issue: Conflict of Interest
A Classic Conflict of Interest:
A Reporter's Free Advertisement to Himself Turns into Tragedy

31) April
Issue: Photojournalism Commitment
Are You an Ari or an Alice?
Learning to Live with Professional and Personal Choices

30) March
Issue: Writing an Ethical Code
Keeping the Code Alive: Analysis Helps it Stay Relevant

29) February
Issue: The Nature of News
What is News?
The Answer is Not Blowing on a Whim

28) January
Issue: Praiseworthy Behavior
Camaraderie over Competition:
Hey, Brother. Can you spare a card?

2002
27) December
Issue: Stage-Managing
Taking vs. Making Pictures:
Readers Often Don't Know the Difference

26) November
Issue: Practicing Ethics
Just in Case:
Using a Systematic Analysis to Study Ethical Dilemmas

25) October
Issue: Doing Good Work
Why are You a Photojournalist?
It's a Matter of Quality

24) September
Issue: Learning to be Ethical
Learning Ethics:
We Are All Teachers and Students

23) August
Issue: Editorial Decisions
Newsworthiness and Choice:
A Tale of Two Sensational Stories

22) July
Issue: Comparing Past with Present Images
Watching and Participating:
A Lesson Learned from a Visit to Hiroshima

21) June
Issue: Cultural Sensitivity and Privacy
Shooting and Showing Without Consent:
A Cultural Controversy

20) May
Issue: Embarrassing Pictures as an Etiquette Issue
When Does a Kiss Become a Kiss-Off?
Sometimes It's a Matter of Taste

19) April
Issue: Shocking Images and Contests
And the Winner Is...
A Picture Too Brutal to Show

18) March
Issue: Photojournalism Practice
Excuses and Other Moral Mistakes:
Taking Responsibility for your Actions

17) February
Issue: Funeral Coverage
Newsworthy death need not be a cliche

16) January
Issue: Special Effects in TV News Stories
All that Glitters May Be Too Bold:
Small Effects Speak to Larger Issues

2001
15) December
Issue: Showing those Accused of Crimes
Pictorial Punishments:
When the Coverage Doesn't Fit the Crime

14) November
Issue: Appropriation vs. Fair Use
9-11 and the Ethics of Patriotism:
When is it Okay to Break the Law?

13) October
Issue: Journalist Impersonators
Is Helping the Police Ever Over the Thin Blue Line?

12) September
Issue: Images and Image Makers from 9-11
From Great Tragedy, Humanity is Found

11) August
Issue: Coverage of the Accused
Responsible Journalism is Accountable Journalism

10) July
Issue: Paying for Video
Video 'Wars' Obscure News:
But they shed light on news conventions

9) June
Issue: Living an Ethical Life
When Worlds Connect:
Ethical Behavior is a Life-Long Journey

8) April
Issue: Showing Gruesome Images
When You Need To Know, But Don't Need To See

7) March
Issue: Friends and Family Coverage
Is it Ethics or Etiquette to Ban Those You Know From the Media?

6) February
Issue: Learning from Movies
Media Ethics Goes to the Movies:
What Photojournalism Films Can Teach Us About Our Profession

5) January
Issue: Who is a Journalist?
A Journalist Is Anyone Who Gets the Pictures,
But At What Price?

2000
4) December
Issue: Photojournalism Practice
To Shoot or Not to Shoot:
When is it Not Okay to Take a Picture?

3) November
Issue: Using Gruesome Images
Good Journalism Isn't Always Nice Journalism
When "The Harsh Truth" is the Right Ethical Choice

2) October
Issue: Picture Manipulations
Do Minor Touch-Ups Foretell a Slide Down the Slippery Slope?

1) September
Issue: What is Photojournalism Ethics?
On the Difference Between Aesthetics, Etiquette, and Ethics


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