“Visual journalists operate as trustees of the public.”
This really sums it up for me. Not only do people (as in viewers) trust us to convey the truth through photos, but our subjects trust us to tell their story accurately. It’s our responsibility, and it shouldn’t be taken lightly.
“5. While photographing subjects do not intentionally contribute to, alter, or seek to alter or influence events.”
I think this is the hardest rule to follow, because even by saying “I’m here to show what a typical farm family’s day is” could potentially skew how they act around you. They may start really thinking about how they interact as a family and act in a way that they think you want them to act. Although I don’t actively try to alter events, but just having a camera tends to skew how people act.
This code of ethics has a lot of depth when you really start to think about what happens when you walk into a situation with your camera. Being aware of them is important.
Kaiti Grant 