Lauren Walsh: On conflict photography
In this episode, we talk with Lauren Walsh about conflict photography. Lauren first discusses her career trajectory, explaining her shift from English literature to photojournalism due to her sustained interest in storytelling and ethical issues. She explores who consent forms are designed to protect and stresses the need for ethical considerations in relation to photojournalists’ mental wellbeing. Lauren grapples with the issue of ethical viewership in relation to fast paced encounters of suffering on social media. There is a discussion of perceptions of photojournalism within academia, she also dispels myths that the general public have about conflict photography.
What you’ll find inside:
On consent forms: “I wouldn’t want a one size fits all form cause I think depending on what’s being documented it can radically shift what you need to protect for… if it is a setting where you think somebody could be at risk because of your work, I do think it is fair to think it through very very deeply and potentially offer them the opportunity to talk to you about it.”(20.41)
“A photojournalist should be paid for their work because it is a job and if they are documenting someone else’s hardship, it brings those two uncomfortable realities together… this is a vital job if we don’t pay into it then we lose what photojournalism or journalism broadly contributes to society. Which is keeping an eye on what is happening around the world particularly where we can’t be, exposing injustices, making us aware.” (23.13)
“I also wouldn’t ever make the claim that photojournalism matters more than what might be happening locally in a photojournalist’s community. I say that almost from an advocacy position, as at least where I am based in in the United States like local journalism is really hurting here and the smaller newsrooms and the smaller publications are dwindling. I think actually community and local are reporting is so vital to the health of a community.” (36.49)
What does photography ethics mean to Lauren?
“Thinking through all aspects of the photo, the photojournalist before they pick up the camera, when they’re in front of whatever they’re documenting, before they file the image to an editor and then seeing where the images goes … I think they should operate in a way that should aim to reduce any harm to whatever story they’re working on and I also think the industry has the obligation to reduce any harm for its media workers too.” (37.52)
Links:
Dr. Lauren Walsh is a professor at New York University, where she is the Founding Director of the Gallatin Photojournalism Intensive. She is also the Director of Lost Rolls America, a national archive of photography and memory, and in 2023 was named a Fulbright Specialist in Photography and Ethics.
Lauren is a leading expert in conflict photography and peace journalism. She has headed up the first-ever nationwide survey on journalism and mental health in a wartime setting, examining the real-time psychological challenges of media workers in Ukraine.
Lauren’s newest book is Through the Lens: The Pandemic and Black Lives Matter. Her other books include Conversations on Conflict Photography and Shadow of Memory. She is co-editor of The Future of Text and Image and The Millennium Villages Project, and editor of Macondo: Memories of the Colombian Conflict. She has published widely in national and international media; appearing as an expert on Al Jazeera, CNN and BBC.
You can see her work at https://www.laurenwalsh.com
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