10 Days
10 Topics
Sun, 28.06. Ethics / Visual Journalism and Power
In 1973, the Press Code was published by the German Press Council to define the ground rules of journalistic work and publishing. Closely linked to it are the ethical foundations of both our everyday behaviour and our work as journalists. The deliberate examination of moral issues has taken on particular significance in today’s globally connected times. The vast range that has arisen, for instance with the Internet, has also had momentous consequences for the content that photojournalists contribute to the media landscape. Added to this are the facts that photographs are comparatively quick to consume and that they are invested with a significant degree of inherent veracity. Picture creators bear a great responsibility towards many parties, not only to provide truthful reports, but also to judge which conflicts and topics are relevant to society, which form of expression is most appropriate and the extent to which an action is ethically justifiable, for example depicting affected people as victims.