The ethics of photojournalism in the digital age

Abstract

Delving into the complexities of contempora1y reportage, this book draws from moral philosophy and histories of photojournalism to understand the emergence of this distinct practice and discuss its evolution in a digital era. In arguing that the digitization of photography obliges us to radically challenge sorne of the traditional conceptions of pn:ss photography, this book addresses the historie opposition between artistic and joumalistic photographs, showing and challenging how this has subtly inspired support for a forensic approach to photojoumalism ethics. The book situates this debate within questions of relativism over what is "moral," and nom1ative debates over what is ''.journalistic," alongside technical debates as to what is "possible," to underpin a discussion of photojournalism as an ethical, moral, and societally impmtant joumalistic practice. Including detailed comparative analyses of codes of ethics, examination of controversia! cases, and a study of photojournalism ethics as applied in different newsrooms, the book examines how ethical principies are applied by the global news media and explores the potential for constmctive dialogue between different voices interested in pursuing the best version of photojournalism. A targeted, comprehensive, and engaging book, this is a valuable resource for academics, researchers, and students of photojournalism, as well as philosophy, communications, and media studies more broadly.