A Life In Front Of The Lens News Photographers Shouldn’t Be Confuse With Paparazzi
I was saddened to learn about Princess Diana’s tragic end from my Sunday newspaper and my heart sunk even lower as I read that she died while being pursued by photographers.
I’ve been shooting and editing newapaper photos for 25 years. I photographed Diana’s wedding to Prince Charles not in London but before dawn in a suburban Pittsburgh living room where two dozen women in white gloves sipped tea, nibbled crumpets and tittered excitedly as the royal couple exchanged vows. It shakes me to think that the shy, elegant young woman I saw on television that morning would be killed while being chased by fellow photographers.
The paths of paparazzi don’t lead them to places like Spokane or Pittsburgh. I wouldn’t know one if I tripped over his tripod. But I do know newspaper photographers and I do know right from wrong.
Most newspaper photographers get into this business in search of truth. We want to document history in the making. We want to witness the strength of the human spirit and share what we’ve seen with our readers. We want to be a voice for the powerless and change our community for the better by capturing images with impact that move the viewing public into action.
It’s a tricky business. We face many ethical questions as we try to shed light on community issues. Does photographing the face of a domestic violence victim deepen the injury? Does a mother on welfare who invites us to document her lifestyle really understand the ugly reaction she will hear from some of our readers? When does the public’s right to know override an individual’s wishes if a subject in the news doesn’t want his or her picture published?
These are questions photographers, reporters and editors discuss before controversial photos are published. It’s not always easy to determine the answer that is right, but every newspaper photographer I have ever known has shown concern for what is right and what is wrong. It is clearly wrong to engage in a dangerous high-speed chase just to get the picture. It is also clearly wrong to pry into the most intimate, private moments of celebrities as if each of their kisses were news.
Newspaper photographers live in the community where they work. They see the human consequences of their professional work and feel the heat if readers decide to one of our ethical decisions was wrong. I don’t know if paparazzi share that kind of link to the world they live in. I believe that theirs may be a sad, disturbing world. I do know that Princess Diana’s life touched the hearts of many people in communities throughout the world. May her family and those who mourn her passing find peace.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo
MEMO: In death as in life, Princess Diana was never far removed from the press. The Spokesman-Review’s photo editor, John Sale, and five Opinion Page writers (Rebecca Nappi, John Webster, Jamie Tobias Neely, Doug Floyd and D.F. Oliveria) offer brief observations about that relationship and about Diana as a public figure.