Ethics of a photojournalist called into question once again
Journalistic ethics were once again being called into question after a photojournalist was captured deliberately posing a girl for a photo in the aftermath of the recent Belgian terror attacks.
The video showing Khaled Al Sabbah, a 21-year-old Palestinian journalist who lives in Brussels, sparked controversy when he was spotted in the background of a live Fox News telecast repositioning the girl who was laying flowers at a memorial to victims of the attacks.
In a Facebook post, which was later removed, Khaled apologised for staging the photo stating he was not working for a news agency at the time, and the image was being taken purely for aesthetic reasons.
The image has raised questions about how routinely images in the media are staged. Photojournalist ethics, endorsed by media organisations, industry associations and major competitions, state that news photos cannot be posed.
"It’s one more example of a photographer doing something that destroys public trust in the media," said Michael Kamber, a former staff photographer at the New York Times and founder of the Bronx Documentary Center.
Al Sabbah initially posted the photograph on his instagram page, before removing it after receiving criticism.
Comments on social media have varied, with many declaring the practice is commonplace in a culture of increasing pressure on freelance photographers to deliver striking images.