Image Ethics: Moral Rights of Subjects in Photographs, Film and Television (Communication and Society) - Hardcover

Gross, Larry

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195054334 ISBN 13: 9780195054330

Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc, 1988

Synopsis

This collection of essays examines the moral rights of subjects portrayed in documentary film and television. The discussion is placed largely in the context of art, rather than news, and recognizes that the time is now over when photographers and film-makers can use images of their subjects and justify their actions as the right of the artist. Among the articles are theoretically framed pieces on the issue of informed consent, the "right" of individuals and minority groups to be respresented fairly and accurately, and the right of individuals to profit from their own image. The book also looks at the peculiar moral rights of minorities who create images of themselves. There are a number of case studies, which include an examination of British documentaries of the 1930s and an essay on the portrayal of Arabs on television.

About this title

Review

`Image Ethics looks almost exclusively at United States practice, supplemented by Brian Winston's lively essay on the tradition of the victim as subject in British documentaries of the 1930s. Image Ethics does a valuable service in reminding us that the focused object in the lens is a subject too.'Times Literary Supplement

`A provocative collection of thirteen essays on the taking and showing of pictures.'Columbia Journalism Review

'The authors remind us frequently, and with dramatic illustrations, that it is not always easy to distinguih between truth and deception, between genuine commitment and manipulation... But the cumulative effect of reading through this book is to force the reader into a greater awareness of the moral responsibility which falls both upon those who produce and those who consume the images with which we are surrounded.'The Toronto Globe and Mail, February, 1989.

'This invigorating book reminds me of that moment in geological time when Earth shifted on its axis...Adjusting for proportions, Image Ethics fundamentally alters the world of visual imagery.'Journal of Communication, Autumn, 1989.

From the Author

excerpts from published reviews
Excerpts from Reviews of

Image Ethics: The Moral Rights of Subjects in Photographs, Film, and Television, L. Gross, J. S. Katz and J. Ruby, eds., Oxford University Press, 1988.

"This invigorating book reminds me of that moment in geological time when Earth shifted on its axis. . . Adjusting for proportions, Image Ethics fundamentally alters the world of visual imagery. . . Image Ethics approaches the issues from a fresh perspective that will make it a landmark in the history of the field. . . In contrast to the uneven quality of most edited volumes, these essays are consistently excellent, enabling them to establish the framework by which the ethics of image making will be addressed in the future." Journal of Communication

"Image Ethics is that rare thing, a genuine and provocative trail-blazer. It opens up pathways for others to explore more deeply, and is a vital addition to film literature." Film Quarterly

"This text is destined to become a feature of that bookshelf of core literature that defines our field of study." Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media

"... provocative collection of thirteen essays on the taking and showing of pictures." Columbia Journalism Review

"The case histories here can be read with profit... There are questions to be answered which some have preferred not to hear. . . There are no glib answers to any of these questions, and the essayists here do not attempt them." Times Literary Supplement

"Some of these pieces are 'must readings' for ethics and law syllabi in our field. . . These are critical case studies as poignant as any currently running the media ethics circuit." Journalism Quarterly

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc
• Publication date: 1988
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195054334
• ISBN 13: 9780195054330
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 400