WHEN A FATAL car collision unfolded on the M50 this year, one person took out their phone. But instead of calling 999, they crossed the median strip and recorded disturbing images and video footage of what had happened. And then they pressed send.
For Sinéad Murphy, programme director of Photography at Griffith College, this was a tipping point, a ‘real low’. At the time, she warned her students that when they receive this kind of content, “you’re going to feel uncomfortable seeing these, and you should.”
For decades, photography has been an incredibly powerful tool to highlight important issues. In what Murphy describes as ‘the polar opposite’ to these images above, the heartbreaking image of toddler Aylan Kurdi’s body on a Turkish beach was an “image we did need to see”, one that heightened our awareness of the growing migrant crisis.
So, now that we live in the digital age where images can be transmitted to potentially millions of people in seconds – what should we know about the ethics of photography?
And this potential trauma actually begins with yourself. Murphy reminds us that the only people who should see these types of images (members of an Garda Síochána forensic teams, pathologists and legal teams), are trained in how to deal with viewing graphic content, and may be able to avail of aftercare when they do. Crucially, there can also be a high chance that the victim’s family has not yet been notified of their death.
It’s also dangerous to spread these images. “We’re in a situation where people don’t fact check – there’s a big name and shame culture and it’s very dangerous”. Not only can the wrong person be ‘identified’ as someone in an unfolding crime story, the right person can be misidentified as someone else. Murphy says that this “can and does promote vigilante behaviour”.
“While we are a nation of news lovers, which isn’t a bad thing, we’re also a nation of rubberneckers”, says Murphy. But she reminds that if you are at an accident or a scene of a crime, you are in the way: “If you’re not a member of the emergency services, don’t have a press pass and can’t be of assistance, you have no business being there”.
Murphy has close contacts in the emergency services and says, “they can be massively hindered by people”. Though you may not be technically breaking the law by taking a photo at say, a road traffic incident, you may be breaking the law with reckless driving by trying to do both at once. Murphy reminds that this often leads to additional crashes.
After bombs exploded near the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon, a well-documented manhunt ensued. In this case, photos supplied to the police helped them to catch the perpetrators. Unfortunately, the papers leaked some of these images and “two people not involved were wrongly identified and the public went after them”. Put simply, fact-checking is absolutely vital, and images like these are often safer in police hands.
Murphy explains:
If you are at a concert event such as the Manchester bombing 2017, you could give any images you have to the gardaí right away, do not post them online or send them onto anyone.
The same goes for events such as hit and runs; a photo of a car registration provided to the gardaí or an insurance company may help to reveal insurance fraud at accidents or drivers who have fled the scene. It’s worth also noting, particularly in light of the recent Ana Kriegél case that if there is a minor involved in a crime, you are breaking the law by identifying them (and often, the images circulated may not be the right person).
Ever posted a pre-holiday snap in Terminal 1? Technically, you’re not allowed to. Murphy reminds that a lot of what we would consider to be ‘public spaces’ are by law private spaces that are open to the public. This includes places such as airports, trains and shopping centres – all of which could technically reprimand you for taking photos.
Even if you are in a technically public space, you can still break the law by not listening to gardaí, Murphy shares: “If the gardaí ask you to move away and you don’t, you may be obstructing them from doing their job and they have a right to arrest you“. She reminds that they don’t know if you’re videoing or taking a Facebook Live, nor do they have time to check. People’s own safety should take precedence over creating content.
If ever you are unfortunate enough to arrive upon a traffic accident, sometimes it can be worth pulling in and “getting out the magic triangle”, to inform others to take extra care around the incident. But most importantly, “always ask has anyone called the emergency services – people often assume someone else has”, says Murphy.
And once they’re there – be respectful of their work. Murphy shares the interesting case of German police officer (seen below), who frustrated from people stopping at a traffic accident to take photos, lead the photographers out of their cars and asked did they want to see the bodies. “It’s an extreme measure but I think it’s where we’re at actually.”
The truth is that by sharing images of a perpetrator and clicking into articles about them, you are supporting the name and shame culture, says Murphy. When terrorist Anders Breivik brutally killed 77 people at a summer camp in Norway, the public took action:
Norwegians turned newspapers around and wouldn’t buy them and they wouldn’t click into articles which showed his face – people knew that he wanted the notoriety and refused to engage with it.
The same goes for if you receive images such as those connected to the M50 crash, the Ana Kriégel case or the Belfast rape trial: “You do need to call people out. Say ‘why are you sending me this? What are you trying to achieve?’ You’re trying to make people ashamed and responsible for their actions.”
Ultimately you need to remember that the people in these news stories could someday be you:
One day someone who shares images of a road traffic accident will have to call the emergency services and only then they might realise that in these instances, you are in such a vulnerable situation.
Sound like something you’d love to study? Griffith College offer a number of fantastic undergraduate creative courses including Photographic Media, Journalism, Design Communications and Film & TV. Take a look at what they have on offer here.
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