In Defense of Photojournalism

In Defense of Photojournalism

By Jess Gonzalez

Of all the losses that a society can sustain, it is the loss of its people’s trust that can do the most devastating damage. Trust, once lost, can never be fully regained; one betrayal is enough to destroy what was once freely given. Communication can become stunted, losing its capacity to reconcile differences.

The corruption and incompetence that is rampant in once-respected public institutions like photojournalism have repelled many; they have turned inward toward their inner circles,  shutting themselves off to what is happening elsewhere. This alienation among social groups has divided people, disaffected them and made them wary toward what is not familiar. It is the climate for mistrust, misunderstanding, and endless conflict, on both personal and societal scales.

Photojournalism is the herald that informs the public of the human condition. It is a unifying presence, one that encourages engagement with the unfamiliar. Without a credible, relevant, common standard of communication, it is impossible to progress in ways that benefit the world. On the contrary, without knowledge and understanding between people entire nations can fail.

Some have questioned the wisdom and ethics of looking to photojournalism to provide answers to social problems. It has become, they argue, merely a ladder for high rankings and the short-term financial gains that accompany them. Photojournalists themselves have been severely criticized as opportunists who record violence and death in progress to exploit these depictions.

Campbell, Phil. “That Argument is Doomed!” 5 Dec. 2012. 6 Aug 2015    <http://www.iamphilcampbell.com/blog/2012/12/05/that-argument-is-doomed/>

Controversy surrounded this now-infamous photo immediately after it was shot.

Emily Magdij of Kent University has characterized this hostility as “the stark and terrible reality that there is such an industry based around the suffering of others. As a collective, we are revolted when we are reminded that there is a real person behind the push of a button of a camera that delivers the image worldwide - and not only that, but that someone stands to profit from it.” (1)

There is no denying that profit-driven publications exist, and that the primary motivation for shooting controversial images like the one depicted above is money. Even so, this image did much more than deliver on the demand for shock photography. It highlighted the need for the argument about ethics to be brought out from the shadows again. It prompted us to ask ourselves what we value and if those values fit within our own best interests.

The images that we see in the media are just that: images. Ultimately, it is the action that we take upon their exposure to us that matters, whether or not the motive behind those images is ethical.

In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, reports of a humanitarian crisis in the city of New Orleans began circulating in the media. Within a few days the rest of the world witnessed the horrifying effects of the disaster, of homes destroyed, levees breached, and entire city blocks under water. But it was the photos of Katrina’s victims, some trapped on roofs, in buildings, even in trees that caused an immediate outcry from the rest of the country, and support in the form of donations and volunteers was overwhelming. When the images became even more terrible, depicting people who had drowned days before still in the flood water, the reaction to their abandonment was outrage and anger. In all these instances, it was not only awareness that spurred action on behalf of the victims but the haunting images as well.

Jackson, Alice. “One Survivor’s Story.” People 2005. 5 August 2015 <http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1102841,00.html>

Adding a human face and form to a story, even to one this compelling, connects with people in a way that neither video nor text alone can duplicate. The professional journalist provides important images for society to use as a guide for deciding which course of action to take. It is a service that requires incredible resiliency as well as technical and artistic skill.

It is crucial to note that it is not the job of photojournalists to act on what is going on around them but to record it with the intent of sharing the images with those who know how to and will act. It is a role to be played only by those who are willing to do the job even at great personal cost.

"There is nothing pleasant about photos of horrific events abroad being sent back home, and there is nothing pleasant about the way they are gotten,” states Magdij (1). “It is fair, I think, to call it an ugly business, because there is no beauty in shock imagery. But the good it does in the exposure it brings to terrible events, and in making an audience emotionally connected to something that they had never even thought of before is a fair trade off. And though the criticism that it is morally abhorrent to profiteer off the suffering of someone you have done nothing to help is valid and worth examining, it misses the point at the heart of photojournalism: that the photographer may not be in a position to help, but that the rest of the world just might be."

Susie Linfield, a writer on cultural matters, insists that we “ should not drown in bathos or sentimentality,” but instead “integrate emotion into the experience of looking.” We “can use emotion as an inspiration to analysis rather than foment an eternal war between the two.” (1)

“A photograph may not tell us enough,” Linfield continues, “but it can help us understand something about the unfathomable cruelty of the world—and perhaps even help us see how we can act or support action.”

It is not an option to give up on the world, or on each other, or on life. As long as the astounding diversity of world cultures continues to shape how people think in sometimes completely different ways, there will always be a great need to prevent misunderstanding and conflict. We all have different roles to play in this mission, and it is the role of the photojournalist to provide the images that will inspire us to assume them. It is, then, up to us to preserve the demand for authenticity in photojournalism; if this can be accomplished, then the slow, painstaking work of social change can continue.

Works Cited

Magdij, Emily. “The Necessary but Ugly Side of Photojournalism.” Centre for Journalism at the University of Kent. 2012. Web. 6 Aug. 2015.

Perl, Jed. “Is Photojournalism a Thing of the Past?” New Republic. 19 Jan. 2011. Web. 6 Aug. 2015.