class 22 fall 2016 slides
TRANSCRIPT
JOURNALISM ETHICS & ISSUES
CLASS #22 | JRNL 4650 | FALL 2016
• Instructor: Bill Mitchell
• bmitch (at) gmail (dot) com
• 727-641-9407
• 22 November 2016 | Northeastern Univ.
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WHAT WE’LL DO TODAY
• Review of Foreman Chapter 19: Issues specific to visual
journalism
• Discussion with Cristela Guerra
• Upcoming assignments
• Reminder: Advancing a story assignment due end of day
Tuesday Nov. 29
• After class: Opportunity to discuss Advancing a Story or your
final papers (Deadline extended to end of day Dec. 12)
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SOME WAYS TO ADVANCE A STORY
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• Correct something (include documentation of the
original error, your efforts to get it corrected – by email,
Twitter, etc. – and what, if anything resulted)
• Suggest a new angle or follow-up in a comment
attached to the article, phone conversation with the
reporter, etc. (include documentation or, in the case of
phone conversation, description of your interaction)
SOME WAYS TO ADVANCE A STORY,
CONTINUED
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• Use the original story as a peg or jumping off point
to write your own story or blog post
• Alert a policy-maker to a story you believe helps
make the case for or against a public policy you’d like
enacted or avoided
• Initiate a conversation on social media or elsewhere
about a story you regard as worthy of further
consideration
HOW TO ADVANCE THIS STORY?
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EXAMPLES OF READERS
ADVANCING A STORY
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EXAMPLES OF READERS
ADVANCING A STORY, CONT.
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CHAPTER 19
Ethics Issues
Specific to Visual
JournalismFollowing slides from Wiley & Sons Instructor Resources
A HISTORY OF DISTORTION
• Photographic distortion may be easier in the digital age, but it is not a new phenomenon.
• Photography was invented in 1839–40.
• The first instance of distortion – a faked photograph – appeared in the same period.
FIRST KNOWN EXAMPLE
OF A FAKED PHOTO
10From Hoaxes.org
TWO WAYS TO DECEIVE
• Stage-managing the scene being photographed.
• Altering the content or context of an otherwise authentic photograph.
BRIAN WALSKI’S COMPOSITE IMAGE
FROM IRAQ, 2003
12Photo of Times front page from slate.com
13Compiled by Bronx Documentary Center
STANDARDS FOR STILL PHOTOS
The consensus standard is a zero tolerance of digital manipulation in news photographs, no matter how benign. Here’s why:
• “Zero” is easily understood and inflexible.
• A flexible standard would lead to a slippery slope.
PERMISSIBLE ADJUSTMENTS
• The consensus allows “burning,” “dodging,” and “toning.”
• The purpose is to help the audience see what the photographer saw.
POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS
• Posed photographs are acceptable if the posing is obvious.
• An example: Photographing an automobile executive in front of the assembly line.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS
• A photo illustration is “a work of fictional
imagery,” often seen in food and fashion photography.
• It should be self-evident; readers should know that what they are seeing is not real.
• In journalism, the concept of photo illustrations remains controversial.
“PHOTO ILLUSTRATION”
OF REAGAN’S TEAR
TIME, 2007
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MAGAZINE COVERS• For their cover photos, magazine art
directors routinely depart from the standards of documentary photography.
• Are these cover photos journalism, or are they merely commercial devices?
STANDARDS IN NEWS VIDEO
• Don’t add sounds that did not exist in the
original.
• Add music judiciously.
• Be careful about slow motion and other special effects.
POSING IN NEWS VIDEO
Stage-managing standards are looser than in print. There are three kinds of posing:
• for convenience of editing;
• for convenience of time;
• for convenience of story.
OFFENSIVE CONTENT IN PHOTOS
The audience reacts negatively to:
• graphic violence;
• dead bodies;
• nudity;
• indecent behavior;
• perceived invasion of privacy;
• juveniles performing dangerous acts.
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FACTORS TO CONSIDER
• The scale of the event. The bigger the event, the less likely the audience will be offended.
• Who is involved. The audience objects to perceived embarrassment of ordinary people thrust into the news, and to graphic photos in which the person pictured does not survive.
REAL-TIME EXPLANATIONS
• Some journalists add to graphic photos an explanation of why they think the public should see them.
• Pro: It’s a matter of accountability and transparency.
• Con: This might suggest, erroneously, that, where a photo offends and there is no explanation, the editors didn’t consider the audience.
INTRUSION BY PHOTOJOURNALISTS
• Because their equipment cannot be hidden like a reporter’s notebook, photojournalists often have to justify their presence.
• Sometimes, as in the case of the McAuliffe memorial services, photojournalists can ruin an event by their presence.
RADIO BOSTON ON THE HBO
MARATHON BOMBING DOCUMENTARY
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• Discussion of Photographer John Tlumacki at 9.25
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EXAMPLES OF READERS
ADVANCING A STORY
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EXAMPLES OF READERS
ADVANCING A STORY, CONT.
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UCPOMING ASSIGNMENTS
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• Nov. 29 Class: Read ethics guidelines of the Center for Investigative Reporting: http://cironline.org/ethics-guide
• Nov. 29 Class: Read (or re-read) Foreman Chapter 16: Deception, a Controversial Reporting Tool
• Nov. 29 end of day: Advancing a Story assignment due
• Dec. 1 Class: Familiarize yourself with David Beard’s Twitter feed & come to class w/ at least 1 question for him about how he uses the tool & why
• Dec. 6 Class: Prepare a 3 minute summary of your final paper (due end of day Dec. 12). This presentation will count toward your class participation points. Details TK