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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Osama Bin Laden coverage & Ethics
Angus Mordant, Student/Intern
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Sydney | NSW Australia | Australia | Posted: 1:54 AM on 05.03.11 |
->> I have noted that there have been a few ethically questionable practices such as Obama staging a 2nd announcement for the stills photographer http://reut.rs/jeyuz4 while its all well and good that the video doesn't have the noise of camera shutters but still its not ideal & a classified document was obscured from an image taken inside the Situation Room http://bit.ly/l5309R I know it couldn't be shown but if it happens to be in a photo is photoshop really the answer or should the photo not be published.
I am not looking to start an ethical argument but are either of these usual practices in the White House or other similar situations? |
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Angus Mordant, Student/Intern
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Sydney | NSW Australia | Australia | Posted: 2:02 AM on 05.03.11 |
| ->> I would also like to add i have only just had the opportunity to download the full size situation room image and noticed the document had simply been pixelated, it had earlier been mentioned to me that it had been composited out in a much more misleading fashion. |
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G.J. McCarthy, Photographer
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Andrew Knapik, Photographer, Assistant
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Lincoln Park | MI | USA | Posted: 7:56 AM on 05.03.11 |
->> I guess I do not understand the issue of a sensitive document being removed from a photo. Here is a quote from the caption of the image: "Please note: a classified document seen in this photograph has been obscured."
At no time did they try to deceive anyone. They are telling you that the photo has been altered. |
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Luke Johnson, Photographer, Student/Intern
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St.Petersburg | FL | USA | Posted: 8:18 AM on 05.03.11 |
->> "it had earlier been mentioned to me that it had been composited out in a much more misleading fashion."
Even if it had, in my opinion National Security trumps Journalism ethics every time. |
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Butch Miller, Photographer
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Lock Haven | PA | USA | Posted: 9:43 AM on 05.03.11 |
| ->> From a purely ethical standpoint ... I have much less concern that classified documents were obscured in an image that was taken in such a situation ... there are some things that need to be treated with National Security in mind ... I have much more concern for presenting a quote as a statement of fact from sources "on condition of anonymity" ... I've always felt, if a reporter cannot divulge the identity of a source or qualify and substantiate the facts otherwise ... it's purely rumor and should be presented as such ... or not at all ... In this case, obscuring the document, did not alter the integrity of the image from a journalistic standpoint ... IMHO ... |
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Jim Colburn, Photo Editor, Photographer
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McAllen | TX | USA | Posted: 10:00 AM on 05.03.11 |
->> "...such as Obama staging a 2nd announcement for the stills photographer..."
What happens at the White House, and has happened for decades, is that when the President, any President, makes a statement to the nation no stills are allowed during the speech, to avoid the shutter noise.
After the speech is completed stills are allowed in the room and the President poses for them to get a decent still photo. Proper captioning should say not that "the President makes a speech" but that "the President poses for photographers after making a speech."
That's the way I always did it. |
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Mike Anzaldi, Photographer
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Oak Park | IL | USA | Posted: 5:07 PM on 05.03.11 |
| ->> anyone else surprised at the 'situation room' photo in terms of the room and seating? not questioning ethics here. i just can't believe the commander in chief doesn't have a proper seat at the head of a large, stately table in a more visually impressive room to observe and monitor military operations. i was imagining something more like out of the West Wing TV show, not a table up against a wall with no elbow room and the president squeezed into a corner. i'm sure there's a fine explanation. hopefully the explanation is that this is NOT actually the "situation room", but some other room. |
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Alan Look, Photographer
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Bloomington/Normal | IL | United States | Posted: 5:32 PM on 05.03.11 |
->> Mike, this from a couple weeks ago may explain part of that - http://www.mobiledia.com/news/87197.html - I just picked one of the many links on the topic.
I guess hollywood has more spare change than the white house. |
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Andrew Fielding, Photographer, Student/Intern
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Denver | CO | USA | Posted: 6:03 PM on 05.03.11 |
| ->> Why don't they simply allow photographers with blimps to shoot during the speech? Wouldn't that appease everyone? Or am I being too naive? |
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Andrew Spear, Photographer, Assistant
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Athens | OH | United States | Posted: 6:37 PM on 05.03.11 |
| ->> Then everyone would need a blimp. |
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Michael McNamara, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Mike Anzaldi, Photographer
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Oak Park | IL | USA | Posted: 11:29 PM on 05.03.11 |
->> michael-
thanks for that link. very cool.
really enjoyed reading about that. |
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Aaron Jaffe, Photographer, Student/Intern
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San Diego | CA | USA | Posted: 12:54 AM on 05.04.11 |
| ->> I was wondering the exact same thing too when I watched his speech. I started brainstorming ideas such as using live view or Point and shoots to solve the problem of the clickclack too. I wonder why they don't do that? |
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Eric Isaacs, Photographer, Assistant
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Santa Barbara | CA | USA | Posted: 1:41 AM on 05.04.11 |
| ->> The idea of a bunch of folks, regardless of credentials, carrying large sealed boxes (blimps) in to a room with POTUS might not go over well... |
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Caleb Raney, Photographer, Assistant
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Shawnee | OK | USA | Posted: 4:01 AM on 05.04.11 |
->> I happened upon this facebook post from Jeffery Goldberg that also speaks to the President's position in this photo.
http://tinyurl.com/3qluosm
Personally, I didn't at first notice that the President seemed squeezed into a corner, but rather that he seems to be the only one in the picture riveted to what is being displayed.
Other than Mrs. Clinton. I can't decide if she is looking on in horror, awe, or just stifling a yawn. |
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James Broome, Photographer
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Tampa | FL | US | Posted: 6:18 PM on 05.05.11 |
->> "Other than Mrs. Clinton. I can't decide if she is looking on in horror, awe, or just stifling a yawn."
I believe i read somewhere that she was trying not to cough. Seriously. |
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Ray Anderson, Photographer
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San Francisco | CA | USA | Posted: 7:07 PM on 05.05.11 |
->> If I ran the show I would have flown in Robert Beck and have him cover the event with one of his 4x5 graflex cameras, shutter makes a hard to hear click.
And with Beck or another photographer with vision the 4x5 photo would be the proper one for the history books. |
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Baron Sekiya, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Hilo | HI | USA | Posted: 8:31 AM on 05.10.11 |
->> The problem I have with the pixellated image in the situation room is that it should have just been blacked-out like redacted text in a released document.
The pixellated image looks like a satellite/aerial image. Could have been from a drone instead of a satellite, or maybe even a stealth manned plane all of which might make them want to keep the image secret.
But honestly you can kind of tell what the image (just apply a Gaussian Blur in Photoshop) is but it's also possible that the pixellated image isn't even the image that was on the laptop. They could have pixellated some other image and pasted it onto there for more obfuscation. Would have been better to just black it out.
As for the staged photo, they could have just set the podium farther back and had a directional mic on it to avoid all the camera noise. I mean hollywood always adds shutter-click foley to press conferences to make them sound real. |
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Tom Gannam, Photographer
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St. Louis | MO | USA | Posted: 6:22 PM on 05.12.11 |
| ->> After reading the above linked piece and following to the more comprehensive coverage at http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/als-morning-meeting/130913/reuters-ap-ph.../ It is ashamed that the great deal of persons commenting seem to have little or no experience actually covering news. The fact that the main players i.e. Getty, AP, Reuters, etc. all acknowledge that this is accepted practice and that they all caption their images appropriately should be sufficient, however, there are those among us who want to find fault with everything just for the sake of finding fault. Just my two cents. |
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George Bridges, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Washington | DC | USA | Posted: 6:59 PM on 05.12.11 |
| ->> @Ray. No need for Beck. David Burnett hs plenty of 4x5, and some very odd formats that can be used there. Oh wait, he DOES use them there, all the time. |
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Ric Tapia, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Sean D. Elliot, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Norwich | CT | USA | Posted: 7:35 PM on 05.12.11 |
->> I heard Pres. Obama has been reading all the outrage on this message board and told his staff "this has to end" ... no, really, I'm sure that's how it happened.
;-) |
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Sean D. Elliot, Photographer, Photo Editor
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