Photo 135: Intro to Photojournalism: Reading Assignments

Instructor: Sue Leith: sleith@csus.edu                Office Hours Monday 1-2 MRP 2011

 

 

Ethics: Chapter 14 Test Review Questions

 

1) You have photographed the body of a child who has just drowned in a local pond. In the picture, you can see the dead child and the weeping parents. Should you publish this picture? Use the three principles of ethical decision making to show how you might come to different conclusions depending on the principle you followed.

    

a) Utilitarian

b) Absolutist

c) Golden Rule

 

2) Several studies (Wilcox, 1961; Brinks, 1987) have tried to measure ethics among photojournalists. What is the evidence from their research that ethics relating to manipulation of photos has changed over the last 25 years?

 

3) Explain the Parade magazine July 20, 1986, incident. What was the difference in the photos on the cover? What was the difference in how they were taken? Any problem here?

 

4) Who is Norm Zeisloft and what is the lesson to be learned from his experience?

 

5) What is the "rule of thumb" suggested by Elisabeth Biondi for making decisions about manipulating shooting situations?

 

6) Why take pictures at tragic events? Why run them? Explain the rationale.

 

7) List four ways to reduce the possibly upsetting impact of a photographer's presence at funerals.

 

8) Explain what is meant by the "continuum of control." Explain how and where our class assignment categories (feature, news, portrait, illustration) fit into this continuum.

 

9) Who is Janet Cooke, what was her problem in regard to the child drug addict and what repercussions came from her experience?

 

10) Explain the conflict between Good Samaritan and professional photojournalist. When does the conflict arise? Give an example from the book.

 

11) Who was Budd Dwyer and why, despite strong emotional graphic photos did one study find 95% of editors surveyed did not use the photos on the front pages of their papers and another 66% did not use the most graphic?

 

12) According to the author there is 1 clear tenet to guide photographerÕs behavior in traumatic situations. What is it?

 

13) Who is Susan Sontag? What is her view of strong, graphic photos?

 

14) The main difference between serious photojournalists and paparazzi is_______?

 

15) Disturbing, graphic, emotional images can make a difference in our world. Explain how Stanley FormanÕs Pulitzer Prize winning image of the falling woman and child made a difference.

 

16) What was the issue involving OJ Simpson and Time versus Newsweek magazines?