With everyone carrying a smartphone being a potential photo or video journalist these days, one of the things rarely spoken of is “ethics”. What is news and what is not? What is worth stopping and grabbing some photos of, what is video worthy and when does it become “over the top”.

There was a report in the local Sunday paper last week about the Perth rugby union team currently in South Africa. While sight-seeing before (or after, I am not sure which) the game, they happened to come across the fellers from Top Gear who also happen to be doing a show there. As you do, phones and cameras suddenly appeared and in the words of the Captain, the look on Jeremy Clarkson’s face was enough to make them vanish again without a snap being taken.

Would this have been news if a shot had been taken or more a ‘souvenir’? (To be fair, in Australia a week or so before, Clarkson had been overly harassed it was reported, and he must get sick and tired of this wherever he goes. And I am not convinced personally “it does go with the territory”. Not all the time anyway).

My own father was a photo journalist for the local paper in our town back in the late 60’s. Our photographic Studio (he was only part time) was next to the railway line that crossed the main street, and one day the inevitable train-bone connects to the car-bone collision occurred. Sadly there were deaths, they were neighbours, but as my Dad refused to photograph the scene, he was told his services were no longer needed.

A good mate makes pocket money as a part time accredited photographer of the V8 Supercar circus. A few years back in a support race, a driver was killed when he hit a barrier. The first I knew of this (I wasn’t there) was when he (my mate) called me somewhat distraught that he had instinctively taken the shots at the impact and now he had a series of photos of a dead body – who he knew. What should he do?

I have never been in this boat thankfully, and I am damn sure I never want to be. My response was to ask if it was ‘news’? The accident is for sure, but the photos are not, without question. They should be kept for the coroner so not destroyed, but they are not public consumption. Ever.

The flip side of this occurred to me only a few weeks back. Driving home from Perth there was an obvious accident on the side of the road. A car had driven into the back of a boat being towed, the trailer had jack-knifed throwing the boat 20 metres, one car was upside down in a ditch and there were police and ambos there.

I didn’t stop (mainly as the police were waving people on quite sternly), but was curious so asked a mate (Auscam’s own Ben “Biggles” Longden who is a freelance camera and ENG guy for 9 and WIN News) what he thought. Was this news?

His response, based on experience, is that news directors, unless there is fire, blood, dangerous chemicals, fumes, explosions etc in the shots, these things are ho hum and probably wouldn’t go to air. Sad but true.

Only a few years previously during a short lived stint with the local paper, I was phoned and asked if I was anywhere near such and such a corner and did I have a camera as a petrol tanker had rolled, exploded, caught fire and there was general mayhem. “
We’ll hold the front page” I was told.

I was close and di have a camera and camcorder (always do) and raced to the scene to find a lorry had hit a fence after skidding 50 metres. No fire. No explosion. No rollover. Just a sheepish driver who refused to give his name or have a photo taken. It didn’t make the front page, nor as I recall, in a town where a crochet competition cancellation would have, did it make the paper at all!

So save your megapixels.

My golden rules are:

1.       Is it newsworthy or just ‘interesting’?

2.       Is it newsworthy or just a photo/video souvenir?

3.       If it goes to air, is anyone damaged?

4.       If it DOESN’T get told, is anyone damaged

5.       Am I infringing on anyone’s rights?

6.       Am I infringing on anyone’s grief?

7.       Am I interrupting the emergency services?

8.       Would I be putting myself in danger?

9.       Would I be putting anyone else in danger?

10.   Is it worth the effort?

This may seem a long list to chew through before you get the camera out, when sometimes, a couple of seconds can mean the difference between a story and photo/video or not, but after a short while it becomes instinctive.

So before you go all Jimmy Olsen, next time you have an opportunity, think first. If you saw it on the news channels, would it grab your attention? (except for the fact you reported and took it of course!)

If not, move along. Nothing to see here …

*If you are interested in the Steadicam for iPhone, drop me a line at david@auscamonline.com

By David Hague

David is the owner and publisher of AusCam Online. He has a background in media dating back to 1979 when he first got involved with photojournalism in motorsport, and went from there into technology via a 5 year stint with Tandy Computers. Following that, he ran a software distribution company on the Gold Coast and was one of the first to recognise the potential of Microsoft Windows.

Moving back to WA, David wrote scripts for Computer Television for video training for the just released Windows and Office 95 among others, and was then lured to Sydney to create web sites for the newly commercial Internet in 1995, building hundreds of sites under contract to OzEmail including Coates Hire, Hertz Queensland, John Williamson, the NSW Board of Studies and many, many more.

He went back into full time journalism as the Managing Editor for Channel 7's 'Gadget Guy', Peter Blasina's publications VideoCamera and Pixelmag, before starting Australasian Camcorder magazine when these publications were shelved. He lives at Sydney's Avalon Beaches nearly on the ocean front with dog Budweiser and in his spare time is a nut for motor sport, road safety, fishing, science fiction - especially Dr Who - and technology.

David can be contacted via david@auscamonline.com