Photography EthicsWriting our Staff Manual

Scholastic Media Standard

Should scholastic media be allowed to have a different standard - of taste, play, news value - than a "regular" media?

Fanny Photo

What standard should scholastic media be held to?

Write your opinion about the standards scholastic media should be held to? Should they be different or the same as local media?

Understanding all aspects of story…

When dramatic photos are used, how important is it for readers or viewers to be told all the background of the story or situation?

Two residents wade through chest-deep water after finding bread and soda from a local grocery store after Hurricane Katrina came through the area in New Orleans, Louisiana.(AFP/Getty Images/Chris Graythen)

A young man walks through chest deep flood water after looting a grocery store in New Orleans on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005. Flood waters continue to rise in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina did extensive damage when it made landfall on Monday. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Write your opinion…

Write your opinion about the two different photos and the captions. In what way did the photojournalist/caption writer not tell all of the story in either photo? How could the caption writer have done a better job?

How do you handle the scene?

Is it your responsibility as an editor to find out if the presence of the camera at the scene in any way helped incite or distort an event? Is that information you need to share with your readers?

Discuss with a neighbor…

My overzealous photographer got in trouble at the quarterfinal state football game this last weekend. One of the players went down with heart problems during the game, she continued to take pictures. I don't know exactly who confronted her on it but her response was, "My teacher told me to keep taking pictures and to get in there." Please note that I was not at the game but had made the comment to her during a pep assembly that it is okay as the photographer to get in the thick of it (middle of the floor) to take pictures. Where exactly is the line? What should I direct her to do now? She is a sophomore and very concerned about the perception of others, I'm trying to rebuild the reputation of my program. Any advice?

Write your opinion…

After discussing with you neighbor, write your opinion about how photojournalists for The Davis Dart should behave on scene. When should they “keep shooting” and when should they stop out of respect for the participants on site.

How far to push the envelope…

Some editors believe it is their duty to avoid violating readers' sense of taste or compassion. Others argue it is their duty to force society to face unpleasant truths, even if it means risking reader anger and rejection. Whose side would you support?

Was it right to change the picture?

Discuss with your neighbor whether you think it was right to change the photo to get rid of the unpleasant word?

Kant’s Categorical Imperative

The categorical imperative helps us to know which actions are obligatory and which are forbidden. Hypothetical imperatives are conditional: ‘If I want x then I must do y’. These imperatives are not moral. For Kant, the only moral imperatives were categorical: ‘I ought to do x”, with no reference to desires or needs. 

There are three categorical imperatives. 

1.      The universal law – All moral statements should be general laws, which apply to everyone under and circumstances. There should be no occasion under which an exception is made. 

2.      Treat humans as ends in themselves – Kant argues that you should never treat people as a means to some end. People should always be treated as ends in themselves. This promotes equality. 

3.      Act as if you live in a kingdom of ends – Kant assumed that all rational agents were able to deduce whether an argument was moral or not through reason alone and so, all rational humans should be able to conclude the same moral laws. 

Utilize Kant’s Philosophy

Utilizing the concepts in Kant’s philosophy, work in groups of 3-4 to discuss your group’s opinion on each of the questions discussed earlier. Your group should have one paragraph for each point/discussion that they can share with the class in a discussion.