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If you haven't followed the ongoing scandals at @MagnumPhotos this will bring you up to date. It's hard but essential reading for anyone in our industry. Unquestioned elitism & power imbalances always lead to abuse. Good work: @duckrabbitblog @kiell et al https://www.duckrabbit.info/blog/2021/01/olivia-arthur-now-can-we-talk-about-magnum-photos-and-child-abuse/
The consequence of publishing photos of children, in compromised positions, unintentionally landing on child abuse websites hits very hard indeed. The school photographer at a school I attended as a 9 y/o was later convicted as a paedophile.
Because of that, & because I spent a lot of time working as a photographer with NGOs representing children, I have a lot of awareness of the dangers & risks involved in photographing children. But neither should be a prerequisite: this should be fundamental to all photographers.
At this stage, I find it hard to imagine that @MagnumPhotos can or should survive these episodes. There are undoubtedly brilliant and ethical photographers there, but the institution itself seems beyond salvageable.
As @duckrabbitblog says: this is not journalism. Hard to find a word for what it is. It's child abuse/exploitation marketed as art or documentary. It's not limited to children: it is the willing knowledge of and use/abuse of power imbalance. It needs a specific name.
