Lesson 3

What are the role and responsibilities of a photojournalist? In light of what we have learned about photojournalists like Edward Curtis, Dorothea Lange, and Charles Moore, we will review the code of ethics that contemporary journalists are expected to follow.

Lesson Goals

Can I express an accurate understanding of the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics?
Can I recognize and interpret important relationships among the various ethics that trustworthy, credible journalists are expected to follow?

Texts

Core

- “Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics,” Society of Professional Journalists

- “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King, Jr., Writers House, 1963

Materials

Question Sets

Photojournalism: Section 3 Question Set

Editable Google Docs

Photojournalism: Section 3 Question Set

Activity 1: Read

We will read the society of professional journalists’ code of ethics and make notes about its main principles.

Step 1

Read the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics, looking for statements that are principles of the code. In your Learning Log, make notes about at least five important statements you identify. Write the statement and then explain what you think it means or implies.

Step 2

As a class, share and discuss the principles you have identified and paraphrased. Then connect and compare the principles of the code to the quotation about photojournalism by John Morris that you discussed in Section 1:

Truth is the objective of good journalism; beauty is secondary to the truth. But the great photographers usually manage to get pictures which are not only truthful but beautiful. (John Morris, Get the Picture)

Think about what you have learned about the photojournalism of Edward Curtis, Dorothea Lange (and other FSA photographers), and Charles Moore. Discuss the ways in which their approach to photojournalism has or has not lived up to the principles of the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics.

Step 3

In your Learning Log, individually write a paragraph about one of the photojournalists you have studied and how their work has represented truth and either lived up to or not lived up to the code.

Activity 2: Read – Discuss

We will consider the code of ethics in conjunction with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in response to flip schulke, a photographer for life Magazine during the civil rights movement.

Step 1

During the Civil Rights Movement, Flip Schulke, a photographer for Life magazine who worked with Charles Moore, stopped to help during a protest. He was later reprimanded by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:

The world doesn’t know this happened because you didn’t photograph it.... It is so much more important for you to take a picture of us getting beaten up than for you to be another person joining in the fray.

With a partner, discuss the connection between the code of ethics document and the quote above.

Step 2

A prominent Black photojournalist from the civil rights era, Pulitzer Award-winner John H. White, memorably said:

A photographer can be the eyes for the world. It’s a privilege and a tremendous responsibility.

Make a difference in the world. One light. One day. One image.

With your partner, discuss these quotations in conjunction with King’s advice to Shulke and the following questions:

Is it the job of the photojournalist to be a witness and the “eyes for the world” or to “join in the fray”?
After researching the code of ethics for journalists, in what way is there an obligation for a photojournalist to help or intervene?

Activity 3: Discuss

As a class, we will discuss the quotations from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and John H. white and what they suggest about the role and responsibilities of being a photojournalist.

Step 1

As a class, discuss your responses to Dr. Martin Luther King’s comment to Schulke about why he should avoid “joining the fray.” Discuss whether you agree or disagree with Dr. King and why, considering the questions from the previous activity.

Then consider the quotations from John H. White and how they relate to what Dr. King told Shulke and to the role and responsibilities of a photojournalist.

A photographer can be the eyes for the world. It’s a privilege and a tremendous responsibility.

Make a difference in the world. One light. One day. One image.

Step 2

Make notes and write a short paragraph in your Learning Log in which you respond to the first question and explain your position on this issue:

Is it the job of the photojournalist to be a witness and the “eyes for the world” or to “join in the fray”?