Illegal exhumation: an ethical debate
Lately the thorny topic of photojournalism ethics has reared it’s very ugly head again; this time involving a top photojournalist and a leading supporter of photojournalism; the Pulizter Centre.
It seems that Marco Vernaschi asked the parents of a murdered girl in Uganda, Babirye Margret (10) to exhume her body so he could photograph her as part of a story on child sacrifice he was working on with the backing of the Pulitzer centre and aided by Ugandan NGO, RANCHO.
The debate surrounding the exhumation has taken Lightstalkers by storm with various angles on the story being brought in ranging from the ethical aspect; the legal aspect and the fact that this may not have happened in a Western country.
http://marco-vernaschi.photoshelter.com/gallery/CHILD-SACRIFICE-Uganda/G0000×1HawSRNvQo/?bqH=eJzL9A0PdfYrTY8PSg4rMHULNSo2NS6vLEhyMC1MjO0MjQwsLJyj_d0sXU3AIIKQ4_E8uAgv7LAfLUAkKiau2e8u6OPj2tQJDZFAEfQHDs-&_bqO=58
http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/illegal-exhumation-a-debate-about-marco-vernaschis-methods
http://pulitzercenter.org/projects/africa/child-sacrifice-uganda
Firstly I must point out that I do not know Marco Vernaschi personally and have only done research for this blog from the internet so I have not first hand information regarding the events that toke place in Uganda.
Having said that it seems obvious that the illegal exhumation has raised some serious points with regard to our profession and points that need debating.
Secondly my personal view is that from a professional point of view I condemn the exhumation.
It seems outrageous, even with the aim of telling the world about child sacrifice, that a photographer would alter reality by digging up a DEAD girl of ten years old.
From a personal point of view I have daughters and I ask Mr Vernaschi to think of what went through the minds of the parents when they where asked to dig up their daughter.
If this had happened to me and involved either or both of my 7 year old daughters I would have found the request totally unacceptable.
Thirdly from the point of view of being an African and having worked in Africa for most of career I wander if this would have happened in a rural village in Kent, England or a small town outside Roma?
There seems to be a perception by many non African’s that Africa has a different set of standards with regard to human rights and that as journalists, SOME, feel that they are thus able to take advantage of this percieved difference in thinking and approach to life and thus step over the boundaries that hold together non Africa societies.
That said Africa does not do itself any favor being continuously producing bloody civil conflict, dictators, strange traditions and violence at any opportunity.
Finally with the advent of the social media and the proliferation of ‘photographers’ with digital cameras, the world of photojournalism can ill afford this type of unethical behavior lest the profession wakes up one day to find that the general public does not believe the ‘truth’ we are trying to carry in the photo essays and stories that aim to inform those out there would cannot see for themselves.
Great to bring such an issue to light Kim.
The lines between photojournalism, portraiture, art and shock photography have been blurred and it seems today anything goes!
What was once the sacred modus operandi of photojournalists, observing without interfering, seems also to be teetering on the edge of insignificance. There are so many photographers out there and such desperation exists to make it and be seen that the way we work does not seem to matter.
A photographer will sell for thousands of Euro a portrait series of dead people whilst another so called photojournalist will get the parents to dig their child up so an image can spark a reaction.
Personally i do not condone this kind of thing and definately do not call it photojournalism. It is out there and photographers will continue to try to shock and show something new, its human nature to explore and create regardless of the ethical implications.
What is important is for true photojournalists to see this and decide for themselves how to conduct their craft. We all know ourselves what these unwritten rules are for the photojournalist and by sticking to them we keep our code pure, our art intact, our integrity intact and in the end i believe people will see the difference between shock photography and real storytelling.