Ethics

Photo by: Sam Gewitz
Image Source:http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2012/08/25/nyregion/25empire4-span.html


   I apologize for the graphic nature of this photo, however when tackling this assignment I researched the internet for a photojournalistic controversy where ones ethics would come into play and I could discuss a true opinion on the photograph as well as my ethics on the particular situation. Often I came across articles titled such things as "Years Most Controversial Photos" and titles of similar nature. When looking at the vast majority of these photos, most were tough for me to take a true stance on. In other words, I kind of saw both sides of the spectrum on most of these photos. I understood why someone was upset a photo was taken, but saw the photographers intention behind it. Or I sympathized with a subject of a photo, but then thought there privacy must have been invaded a little to take this picture. I felt torn on these photos and found myself see-sawing my opinion on most. Until I came across this photograph.

   This photograph was taken by Sam Gewitz and published in the New York Times... ON THE FRONT PAGE. The photograph is supplemental to a story about a shooting at the Empire State Building in August of 2012 that left one dead and several more injured, the victim being the subject of the photograph above. The story was a disgruntled laid off employee shot and killed a former co-worker and then was gunned down himself by police, during which several innocent civilians were struck by police gunfire and injured in the situation as well. The motive of the shooting was that the victim did not promote the perpetrators t-shirt line. I know, sounds a bit silly.

   My ethics immediately came into play here. The first thing I thought of,  which is one of my more important values is that of family. Now when I say family I don't just mean I value my family, which I greatly do, but the idea of family as well in itself. This man had a family, he had a girlfriend he lived with whom he was soon planning on proposing to. I didn't know anything about these people until I read the article further on, but they were the first people I thought of when I first saw the photo. Think of the value of respect as well, how could a news outlet be so disrespectful to a family and publish this photograph on a large upscale newspaper, and on the front page at that. I had a tough time debating wether or not I even felt ok putting it on my blog where 10 of my classmates and a college professor were going to be the only ones that saw it. The worst thing about this to me though was that people got upset, so the New York Times took the photo down off their website... only to put it back up after! Are you kidding me!