Abstract

This media ethics case study will evaluate whether or not the 1972 photo Napalm Girl should have been photographed and if it should have been published. This photo depicts a young naked Vietnamese girl covered in napalm screaming as the soldiers around her look as if they are doing nothing to help her. Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist, Nick Ut, photographed 10-year-old Phan Thị Kim Phúc while on assignment in Vietnam for the Associated Press. The photo was published dozens of times and was the front page of countless newspapers while also obtaining a Pulitzer Prize in 1973 (poynter.org, 2014). The Potter Box will be used to discuss the choices made while photographing and subsequently publishing the iconic photograph. The Potter Box is a four-step method for analyzing the ethics of an issue or situation. The four steps used in this process are the facts, values, principles, and loyalties, which help draw conclusions about situations (Patterson et al., 2019, p.104). John Stuart Mill’s philosophical principle of Utilitarianism will also be used to help decide whether this photo is ethical. Utilitarianism suggests, “the consequences of actions are important in deciding whether they are ethical” and that it “may be considered ethical to harm one person for the benefit of the larger group” (Patterson et al., 2019, p.12). Answering the following questions will help analyze the ethics behind the photograph:

1. Is Napalm Girl newsworthy?

2. Does the public need to see graphic images of events happening in the world or should they be sheltered from it?

3. What ethical choices do photojournalists need to make while on assignment?