Photography Ethics
Writing our Staff Manual

Should scholastic media be allowed to
have a different standard - of taste, play,
news value - than a "regular" media?
Scholastic Media Standard
Fanny Photo

Write your opinion about the standards
scholastic media should be held to?
Should they be different or the same as
local media?
What standard should scholastic
media be held to?

When dramatic photos are used, how
important is it for readers or viewers to be
told all the background of the story or
situation?
Understanding all aspects of
story…
Two residents wade through chest-deep water after finding bread
and soda from a local grocery store after Hurricane Katrina came
through the area in New Orleans, Louisiana.(AFP/Getty
Images/Chris Graythen)
A young man walks through chest deep flood water after looting a
grocery store in New Orleans on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005. Flood
waters continue to rise in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina did
extensive damage when it made landfall on Monday. (AP Photo/Dave
Martin)

Write your opinion about the two different
photos and the captions. In what way did
the photojournalist/caption writer not tell
all of the story in either photo? How
could the caption writer have done a
better job?
Write your opinion…

Is it your responsibility as an editor to find
out if the presence of the camera at the
scene in any way helped incite or distort
an event? Is that information you need to
share with your readers?
How do you handle the scene?

My overzealous photographer got in trouble at the
quarterfinal state football game this last weekend.
One of the players went down with heart problems
during the game, she continued to take pictures. I
don't know exactly who confronted her on it but her
response was, "My teacher told me to keep taking
pictures and to get in there." Please note that I was
not at the game but had made the comment to her
during a pep assembly that it is okay as the
photographer to get in the thick of it (middle of the
floor) to take pictures. Where exactly is the line?
What should I direct her to do now? She is a
sophomore and very concerned about the perception
of others, I'm trying to rebuild the reputation of my
program. Any advice?
Discuss with a neighbor…

After discussing with you neighbor, write
your opinion about how photojournalists
for The Davis Dart should behave on
scene. When should they “keep shooting”
and when should they stop out of respect
for the participants on site.
Write your opinion…

Some editors believe it is their duty to
avoid violating readers' sense of taste or
compassion. Others argue it is their duty
to force society to face unpleasant truths,
even if it means risking reader anger and
rejection. Whose side would you support?
How far to push the envelope…

Discuss with your neighbor whether you
think it was right to change the photo to
get rid of the unpleasant word?
Was it right to change the picture?


The categorical imperative helps us to know which actions are
obligatory and which are forbidden. Hypothetical imperatives are
conditional: ‘If I want x then I must do y’. These imperatives are not
moral. For Kant, the only moral imperatives were categorical: ‘I ought
to do x”, with no reference to desires or needs.
There are three categorical imperatives.

1.
The universal law – All moral statements should be general laws,
which apply to everyone under and circumstances. There should be no
occasion under which an exception is made.

2.
Treat humans as ends in themselves – Kant argues that you
should never treat people as a means to some end. People should
always be treated as ends in themselves. This promotes equality.

3.
Act as if you live in a kingdom of ends – Kant assumed that all
rational agents were able to deduce whether an argument was moral
or not through reason alone and so, all rational humans should be able
to conclude the same moral laws.
Kant’s Categorical Imperative

Utilizing the concepts in Kant’s philosophy,
work in groups of 3-4 to discuss your
group’s opinion on each of the questions
discussed earlier. Your group should have
one paragraph for each point/discussion
that they can share with the class in a
discussion.
Utilize Kant’s Philosophy