Fueling the opinion that the Western nations in war with Iraq have done and are doing a great job. Further research shows, that behind these images people were crying and were not happy at all.
Another example of image ethics is slightly different. In 2004 Dutch filmmaker, columnist and director Theo van Gogh was brutally murdered on clear day in Amsterdam. While riding his bicycle, his attacker started gunfire at Theo and he fell, after which the attacker went up to the already bleeding Theo and shot him point blank. Theo was killed by a total of 8 bullets. The attacker then put a knife with a death threat note attached to it, directed to politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali in the stomach of Theo van Gogh.
One day later, Dutch newspaper Telegraaf published the picture of the dead Theo van Gogh with the knife stuck in his body widespread on the cover of the paper. The choice of publishing this picture created controversy. Some state that it is unethical to publish a picture of a brutally murdered man on the cover of a morning newspaper to be seen by everyone, including children and relatives of van Gogh. Should we as a public be protected from these images? Or should this all be in the line of freedom of press? Going back to the relation between ethic and the evolving of harsher interpersonal relationships, the start can be made here.
Or even before 2004, when in 2001 the twin towers in New York City collapsed.
Maybe the events of 2001 even let to the murder of van Gogh, who said extreme harsh things about the Muslim population after the 2001 New York attacks. These ‘things’ he said is that he compared Muslims to goat f-ers, excuse my French, and many more comments on the edge of insulting. Did he have it coming? Was it unethical to say such things about a group of people? It is hard to say as the outcry of Freedom of Speech become more and more important, and now is reflected in the way media is made. Discrimination is no longer discrimination as the comments are made in the personal right of freedom of speech.
Is there anything off limits?
What is today’s ethic in a world of fast pacing social media, and harsh interpersonal relationships? I would like to believe in times past. Where objectivity in the media was valued and modesty was king. As Aristotle said so many years ago: right courses of action always avoid extremes.
Ethics and Media