Talking Photojournalism and Ethics in 2021
Alex Kormann is a staff photographer at the Minneapolis Star Tribune in Duluth, Minnesota. When it comes to his assignments, he finds himself photographing news, sports, plus, a ton of human interest and feature stories.
When it comes to using to ethical standards and values in photography, Kormann believes when it comes to this kind of journalism, you need to play each situation by ear. Additionally, when it comes covers hard-hitting news, such as covering mayors, congressmen and coaches is all a little bit different, Kormann notes, but still similar. “You want to be on friendly terms as you want them to give you access, but you can’t be too close as you still have your job as a journalist,” Kormann said.
I asked Kormann how he creates a balance between his work and personal life. He’s done many photo-series that have required him to get up close and personal. “Those relationships are some of the biggest reasons why some of my series were that much of a success,” Komann said. “I got really, really close with some of the families. The access was total which is one of the biggest reasons I love photography.”
Another thing that Kormann and I discussed was publishing touchy images. If a photojournalist does decide to do this, the good news is that communicative photography is well-protected by the First Amendment. According to Freedom Forum Institute, “In deciding whether particular conduct possesses sufficient communicative elements to bring the First Amendment into play, we have asked whether [a]n intent to convey a particularized message was present, and [whether] the likelihood was great that the message would be understood by those who viewed it” as decided in Texas v. Johnson. In journalism, photography would be conveying that message through a form a speech, just not in written words.
In a study by the Society of Professional Journalists, they look into having sources review what they say before it gets published. When I asked Kormann about not publishing a certain photo of someone, he brought up the situation of the George Floyd protests over the summer. “People talk about not showing protestors faces, but you know historically press is going to be there to cover the event. More than likely, if one person comes out of my way to tell me not to publish it, I won’t do it, unless it tells the story of the day.”
Kormann still tries to respect the privacy of individuals who don’t want to be published but wants people to understand that the press will be there in a public forum. To add, when a situation is calm — in most cases — Kormann will try to get their name which also allows a subject to voice any of their concerns. “At every paper I’ve worked at, they’ve encouraged us to get names, but never want to put us in danger.” As encouraged by Poynter in “23 guidelines for journalists to safely cover protests,” they encourage “safety first, story second,” when covering protests. Kormann follows this suggestion when out in the field.
Finally, I asked Kormann about self-censorship and pulling back in certain situations. Kormann asks himself if the moment would be a disservice to the community and readers, it might be something where he’ll let go but still knows his responsibility as a journalist in those kinds of situations. “If I have other photos that still convey the message, I’ll use something else.”
