Ethical and Practical Challenges in Photojournalism

As a professional photojournalist turned visual communication researcher and educator, Kim describes vital ethical and practical challenges faced by individual photojournalists and photojournalism as a whole while arguing for their essential role in the spread of reliable information.

Photojournalists carry “the burden of visual truth” on their shoulders, and in doing so, they must ensure that their images represent a given reality truthfully. This responsibility can extend beyond merely capturing what is physically presented in front of them. This book analyzes the various ethical dilemmas of this responsibility, including the never ending – and sometimes aggravating – questions about the authenticity of news images and the whether the photojournalist as a career is still nessecary. Kim posits that moral dilemmas such as the complicated tension between being a dispassionate observer and being a good Samaritan that photojournalists face as they witness tragedies where a fellow human being’s life is in danger cannot be understated, and why inevitable danger when documenting war and disaster is not only important for photojournalists to capture but also it cannot be replaced by bystanders with smartphones.

Ultimately, Kim recognizes the challenges of photojouralism and argues for their essetial role in modern society.