Read on Twitter
1/
I want to underscore one part of @kristenchick's phenomenally reported story by on @davidalanharvey.
This is, at its core, a power issue. It is not just about personal conduct; it involves the very issues that underlie ethical journalistic practice.
https://www.cjr.org/special_report/magnum-photos-david-alan-harvey.php https://twitter.com/kristenchick/status/1341041889764622339
I want to underscore one part of @kristenchick's phenomenally reported story by on @davidalanharvey.This is, at its core, a power issue. It is not just about personal conduct; it involves the very issues that underlie ethical journalistic practice.
https://www.cjr.org/special_report/magnum-photos-david-alan-harvey.php https://twitter.com/kristenchick/status/1341041889764622339
2/ Being a journalist—regardless of your medium—requires that you acknowledge and confront the power that comes with conveying information.
There is near-universal outrage when we find out someone has staged a photograph. It is agreed that it is an unacceptable abuse of power.
There is near-universal outrage when we find out someone has staged a photograph. It is agreed that it is an unacceptable abuse of power.
3/ There are purposeful patterns to the abuse and harassment of the 11 women included in this article.
Targeting women who are just starting out in the industry. Those who are not well-connected. Who are less likely to be believed if they come forward.
Targeting women who are just starting out in the industry. Those who are not well-connected. Who are less likely to be believed if they come forward.
4/ The power imbalance is part of the abuse, and what allows it to be perpetuated.
5/ For those who will argue that these allegations are an unrelated private matter or a personal issue, it needs to be made perfectly clear: they are not.
They involve the same tenets underlying journalistic practice: how we must conduct ourselves when we are reporting.
They involve the same tenets underlying journalistic practice: how we must conduct ourselves when we are reporting.
6/ Why would we imagine that exploiting power imbalances would pause or stop when a person with a camera—which by default conveys authority—is assigned to enter into vulnerable populations and convey their stories?
7/ You, as a human being, should care about this report because of the accounts of these women who have come forward, with nothing to gain and much to lose, to share their stories, provide corroborating evidence, relive their trauma, with the hope of protecting others.
8/ You, as a part of journalistic institutions, should care about investigating & rooting out behavior that preys on power imbalances, because it is at the core of upholding journalistic standards.
These things cannot and should not be separated.
These things cannot and should not be separated.
9/9 I'm so grateful to the women who came forward in this article, and to those who have been making sure conversations about power are embedded in the way we think about & do our work.
Further reading & resources @photo_rights on exactly these issues: https://www.photobillofrights.com/fostering-community
Further reading & resources @photo_rights on exactly these issues: https://www.photobillofrights.com/fostering-community
