Ethical Decision Making Perspectives in Visual Communications

Ethical Decision Making Perspectives
in Visual Communications

What we are looking at are the decisions made by those who
take photos/videos or the decisions made by those who decide
to publish or share visuals.
In the past these decisions were primarily made by professional
photographers, reporters or editors. Today with the rise of social
media and citizen journalism, those ethical decisions are being
made as well by everyday people. Like any editor, we might
wonder:
What image should we take?
What should we share?
What is ethically right in this situation?

Presentation includes visual examples of ethical decisions made using these perspectives:
Categorical Imperative
Utilitarianism
Hedonism
Golden Mean
Golden Rule
Veil of Ignorance
You’ll notice that one image may, in fact, illustrate more than one of the various ethical
perspectives.

Categorical Imperative:
The categorical imperative according to Kant is an unconditional moral obligation that
is binding in all circumstances and is not dependent on a person's inclination or
purpose. This means unconditional without question; consistency is the key.
What does this mean for an editor, or photographer who decides on images to
publish or share?
A journalist or photographer’s rule might be to take pictures whether or not they will
be used by the newspaper. Here the rule would be--Photograph or film everything.
Examples: During terrorist attacks on World Trade Center photographers took pictures.
Some ran in news reports but were later pulled because they were disturbing. A
tabloid newspaper publishes every sensational image without question.
Key words: Take picture Regardless
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Ethical Perspective:

Categorical Imperative:
During attack on World Trade
Center, photographers took
pictures. Some ran in news
reports but were later pulled.
This image of the falling man
ran early on.
Later out of respect for the
victim, it was not shown.
5
9/11 The Falling Man
Categorical Imperative: Unconditional

6
In 2013, at the scene of
the Boston Bombing
many photographs
were taken much more
gruesome than this.
Later on some of the
images had portions of
the images obscured.
The categorical
imperative perspective
would be to take all
photos unconditionally.
In this photo by Ken
McGagh, firefighter James
Plourde carries injured
woman from the scene.

7
Live Coverage
Networks send out
their reporters to
experience effects
of weather.
Categorical
Imperative – be in
the scene and have
images taken.
Hurricane Hermine 2016
AP Photo/John Raoux

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Live Coverage
Citizen Journalists
film on the streets
and share footage.
Categorical
Imperative
Sammi Yatim shooting
captured by Martin Baron
on July 26, 2013 on the
streets of Toronto. Baron
shared the video online.

9
Tabloid Coverage
Sensational content and
gruesome images often
appear in tabloids.
There is often no filter.
The more sensational,
the more the papers
will sell.
Here the publication
uses the Categorical
Imperative perspective
by publishing images of
the dead. The image is
published
unconditionally.

Utilitarianism: Greater Good for the Greater Number
Established by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. The concept is the
greatest good for the greatest number of people.
Images that may be disturbing may be taken and used when their use has a
potential positive outcome. Consequences are examined and the best choice is
the one that does the greatest good.
For Example: A newspaper publishes a gruesome picture of drinking and
driving with rationale that it may stop someone else from making the same
mistake.
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Ethical Perspective:
Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism:
Greater Good for the
Greater Number
Example: An organization
against drinking and driving
uses a gruesome image in an
ad with rationale that it may
stop others from drinking and
driving.
Example:Utilitarianism-Greater Good
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Ethical Perspective: Utilitarianism

12
Utilitarianism
On July 26, 2013 Martin
Baron came upon a
confrontation between
police and Sammi Yatim
on the TTC. He took out
his phone and captured
the events.
Baron hesitated before
posting the video online,
but decided he had a
responsibility to make it
public.
His actions reflect the
utilitarian perspective of
considering the greater
good.

Sarah McLachlan:
'I Can't Even Watch' My ASPCA
Commercials.
The ads have generated over $30
million for the agency
Utilitarianism

Hedonism: Personal Gain/Pleasure
Hedonism is originally from Greek for pleasure. Aristippus
student of Socrates believed one should maximize pleasure
and not worry about future. Pleasure for him was
intellectual, unlike today's meaning of eat drink and be
merry.
Examples: Editor considers visual for aesthetic pleasure or
editor considers a shocking visual that will increase
attention or sales of the publication
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Ethical Perspective: Hedonism

Hedonism: Personal Gain/Pleasure
Example: Editor considers visual for aesthetic pleasure

16
Here the marketer chooses to use the Birth of Venus painting to market Diesel. Personal Gain

17
Hedonism
Tabloid Coverage
Yes, we have seen this
image before.
Sensational content and
gruesome images often
appear in tabloids.
The more sensational,
the more the papers
will sell.
It is about “Personal
Gain” for the
publication - Hedonism

18
Hedonism
Publishing a provocative front
cover photo is an example of
hedonism.
This cover is intentionally designed
to provoke controversy and
increase sales….. or
“Break the Internet”

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Hedonism?
Publishing a provocative
front page photo could be
an example of hedonism.
Is this cover intentionally
designed to provoke
controversy and increase
sales?
This photo on Rolling Stone
of the Boston Bomber
Dzhokhar Tsarnev was very
controversial.
The picture was one that
Dzhokhar posted of himself
on social media. He looks
young and innocent.

Golden Mean: A Compromise
Aristotle's golden mean refers to finding the middle ground-
compromise, negotiation. Is there a less intrusive, offensive, or
disagreeable photo that still tells the story?
Example: Editor faced with printing a gruesome image will instead
print a less gruesome picture that still tells the story.
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Ethical Perspective: Golden Mean

Golden Mean:
A Compromise
Example: Editor faced with
printing a gruesome image
prints a less gruesome picture.
After the event pictures of
planes hitting the World Trade
Center were not shown but the
pictures of the fire were still
shown. Seeing damaged
buildings is not as upsetting as
seeing images of people dying.
Golden Mean- Compromise –Don’t show jumpers- show buildings
21

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Golden Mean:
A Compromise
Choosing a less intrusive,
offensive, or disagreeable
photo that still tells the story,
may be a better option.
The emphasis is on finding
middle ground rather than
an all-or-nothing approach.
This image of the Boston
Bombing focuses on the
Police aiding victims.

Golden Rule: Do Not Add to Another’s Grief
Love your neighbour as yourself- be as humane as
possible and never harm with insensitive actions.
Examples: Photographer does not focus on mourners
during funeral because it compounds grief. When
including an image of a criminal in a family photo, blur
the faces of the others.
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Ethical Perspective: Golden Rule

Golden Rule:
Do Not Add to
Another’s Grief
Example: Producer does
not focus on mourners
during funeral because it
compounds grief
Do Not Add to Another’s Grief: Blur the faces; be kind, do no harm
24

25
Golden Rule
Be humane. Do not add to
another’s grief. Treat
subjects as you would
want to be treated.
Yes, we’ve seen parts of
this photo before.
This image of the Boston
Bombing focuses on the
Police aiding victims and
obscures the face of the
young child.

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Golden Rule
Be humane. Do not add to
another’s grief.
ABC News used this image
for the story “How Much Did
Omar Mateen’s Wife Know?
Omar Mateen was the
shooter at the Orlando
Nightclub, Pulse that saw 49
people dead and 53
wounded.
Here, the wife’s face is
shown but their baby’s face
is blurred.

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Witness
Or
Official

Ethical Perspective
Moral Responsibility
Veil of Ignorance: Empathy
Put the shoe on the other foot.
Consider all people equal, no one
class better- is picture socially
responsible? Are anyone's rights
being violated? Does image meet
needs of viewers? Is it aesthetically
appealing? Is there empathy? Does
the image cause unjustified harm?
John Jr. saluting at his father
president John Kennedy’s funeral
Veil of Ignorance: Empathy28
Ethical Perspective: Veil of Ignorance

From Paul Martin Lester:
“Given a theory of visual communication that combines words and images in equally respectful
ways, knowing the difference between aesthetics, etiquette, and ethics, and studying the moral
philosophies that have been employed for specific communicative purposes, all visual analyses
should answer the following questions:
• Does the taking and displaying of the picture fit the social responsibility of the professional
involved?
• Has no one's rights been violated in the taking and displaying of the picture?
• Does the display of the image meet the needs of the viewers?
• Does the picture choice reflect moderation?
• Does the professional choice reflect empathy for the subject's experience?
• Could a professional justify the choice if she didn't know which of the parties (subject,
shooter, or viewer) she would turn out to be?
• Does the visual message cause unjustified harm?”
Source: http://paulmartinlester.info/writings/imageethic.html
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Ethical Perspectives

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Ethical Perspectives?
Now that you’ve looked at a number of
examples, it’s time for you to now look
at a few images and decide what ethical
perspectives they might represent.
Remember that one image might
represent more than one perspective.

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What Ethical
Perspectives
might have been
used here?

32
2016 Black Lives Matter protest. Ieshia Evans faces police officers in riot gear.
Photo by Jonathan Bachman

33
Vietnam War Protest. AP journalist Malcolm Wilde Browne’s photo of elderly
monk Thich Quang Duc setting himself on fire. June 10, 1963.

34
Screen capture from video provided by the Syrian anti-government activist group
Aleppo Media Center, a child sits in an ambulance after being pulled out of a
building hit by an airstrike, in Aleppo, Syria, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016.

35
Refugees in food line at refugee camp in Greece March 12, 2016.
Photo: James Nachtwey, Time

36
Prince George meets President Obama.
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza April 22, 2016.

37
Wildfire near Fort McMurray, Alberta May 7, 2016. The fire led to the evacuation of the city and
was the most costly disaster in Canadian history. (Photo: Mark Blinch/Reuters)

Ethical Decision Making Perspectives in Visual Communications

Ethical Decision Making Perspectives in Visual Communications

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Editor's Notes