Ethics in Journalism

The infamous "eagle" picture by Kevin Carter.

Do you save the life of the drowning man? Or do you take the photo of a lifetime which could get more coverage, and more aid, for this horrific event? This is the question that every journalist will  have to ask themselves at least once in their career. (Well, not with those exact words in that exact situation.) At some point in time, you will have to second guess everything you once distinguished as "good" and "bad". This train of thought is often referred to as "ethics".

Ethics has lead to the insanity of many a person. Situations involving death, extreme trauma or violence can arise where a journalist has to choose between their job and what the "ethical" thing at the time to do is. I say "ethical" because the journalist helping out a starving orphan, for example, seems like the best thing to do at the time, but may not be the best thing in the long run. A good example of ethics at play is the story behind the infamous "eagle" image.

At the time, many people questioned whether famous photographer, Kevin Carter's behavior was ethical. Today the debate is still going on. It is alleged that Carter sat and watched the eagle prey upon the little, starving girl for a whopping twenty minutes. Not once did he consider walking the 200 metres to go get the girl food. On the other hand, the photographers on the trip were told by their superiors not to touch any of the locals. By this stage of his career, Carter had also seen a lot of terrible things which led to his warped view of what some believe to be ethical behavior.

But what is ethical behaviour? When asked, some people say that in Carter's position that they would get the girl food. That could very well (and mostly is) be viewed as the ethical thing to do. Other's say that the ethical thing to do would be exactly what Carter did. When factoring in the warning from his superiors, the fact he is there to be photographer and not a medic and his warped state of mind, it's easy to see why he did what he did (even though it irks me to think so).

Being a journalist is tough. Sometimes you have to make decision you really don't want to make. Sometimes that decision involves putting someone's life into your own hands. The question is: what would YOU do?