There have been many controversial work from photojournalists. Recently, it has been becoming easier for photojournalists to alter their work because of the advances in technology. This is unethical for many reasons. Altering an image can create a totally different meaning, or create a different feeling. It also gives viewers a false representation of news or whatever is happening at the time. In the code of ethics it states that images should not be altered from their original state.In June of 1994, O.J. Simpson was arrested for the murder of his wife. His mug shot was released but one magazine must have thought that it didn't define the way Simpson should have looked. On the cover of Time Magazine there is a dark image of Simpson and the magazine headline is "An American Tragedy." The photo was geared to make him look "darker" and more "menacing." There is a photo of O.J. Simpson on the cover of Newsweek that shows the mug shot completely unaltered. This photo violates the code of ethics because of the alterations made to the image. The image also violates number 4 in the code of ethics which states "Treat all subjects with respect and dignity." Even though Simpson's rights were taken away from him, that picture should not have been altered the way that it was. For Time Magazine, this takes away from their integrity and credibility by putting this image on the front page of an issue.
Photo by: Time Magazine (Left) and Newsweek (Right)
My personal code of ethics includes many things that makes this image a violation of my ethics. Something that I feel very strongly about is honesty. In the situation of O.J. Simpson, the magazine was not portraying him in an honest manner whether he was in the wrong or not. Time seemed like they did "whatever it takes" to get the readers attention instead of sticking with the original photo. As I mentioned before everyone should be treated with respect. No matter how the magazine felt about the issue, they should have showed the photo in the correct manner.
Many of the code of ethics for photojournalists are similar to code of ethics that I would follow. In the code of ethics it says to "respect the integrity of the photographic moment." This was a huge moment in history when the word found out that Simpson was being arrested for murder. In this situation, knowing my ethics, i would not have edited the photo the way Time did. I would have left the image as it was and I think it would have gotten an honest reaction instead of having the reader be afraid of Simpson. I think that Newsweek had a more clever caption and brought the reader in without changing the photo. Time may also have gotten pressure from the environment that they work in. If the magazine is all about getting the attention of the public no matter what it takes, than I can see why the editor did this. This photo makes it seem like there is something wrong with the company's ethics. Most of the time, if the photo is left how it is, the photojournalist will have more credibility
than if the image is altered.
Photo By: Los Angeles Police
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