Pulitzer Prize Winning Controversal Photo
Many ethical issues are presented when dealing with photojournalism. If a photographer photographs a controversial photo, then they have to decide whether to print the photograph or not to print the photograph. If the photograph displays sensitive subject matter of a particular individual, then as a photographer they must keep in mind how the photograph could potentially hurt them.
One photograph that always comes into my mind when I think of controversial photographs is Kevin Carter’s famous photograph of a small Sudanese child being stalked by a vulture. One must wonder how long the photographer was following this starving Sudanese child before he got the remarkable photograph he did. It has been speculated that he waited a total of 20 minutes before taking the photograph that won him a Pulitzer Prize.
Before deciding the ethical questions displayed in the photograph, some brief background could change a person opinion. The Sudanese child was trying to crawl to a food shelter while the vulture was stalking it. Before Carter arrived in Sub-Saharan Africa, he was told not to have physical contact with the native people because they could carry some deadly diseases. This is where the ethical issues come into play.
Even though Carter was not supposed to help the child, should he have done it anyways? Personally I believe he should have because the food shelter was very close and it was a starving child. Children always make sensitive situations worse because children can’t always fend for themselves all of the time.
The vulture following the child to me symbolizes death. Vultures eat off of already dead carcasses, and they do not kill their prey. The vulture was just waiting for the child to die so it could feed, which as I mentioned earlier, symbolizes death.
In the end, Carter decided to print the photograph. He ended up committing suicide because of all the scrutiny he was receiving from the photograph, but the photograph opened people eyes. Individuals were able to see that this Sub-Saharan part of Africa had these starving Sudanese natives and some were innocent children who could fend for themselves. It brought reality to people who did not even know about these problems, so for that reason he made the right decision to print the photograph. Perhaps he made the wrong decision for not helping the child while he waited for that memorable photograph. All of that depends on the individual.
Art and Photography IUB 
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