Morals in the Story

Usually, when given an assignment, I ignore every part of me that knows I'm a terrible photographer and go into an event in search of fantastic setups for a shot. I try to keep the camera poised at every possible moment, and hope that one, maybe one, of the 50 or so I take will come out decent enough to land on the web or in the paper. I've been lucky a few times-but for this next event, I'm presented with a challenge: protecting the safety of a speaker at Lasell as I photograph. See, with members of the Secret Service and FBI coming to speak to Lasell students in the criminal justice program this week, it's something that is GREAT to cover from my end. But from theirs, it can be a dangerous risk if someone photographs an agent who may at some point have to go undercover. This leaves me responsible for having to identify who I can and who I can not include in my shots, while also trying to take some that cover the event appropriately. This makes, from my end, a bit of a dilemma: when such esteemed speakers come to Lasell, of course we want to highlight they were there! And who better for a great shot than the entire panel? Now what will I choose as my subject? Yet from a second thought, my morals kick in: No, Emma, this is someone's safety at stake here. And if there's one thing I've learned from my Media Ethics class, it's that being morally and ethically responsible is one of the most respectable things a person can be. In today's society, many reporters are more than willing to do things that can compromise the health, sanity and entire image of an individual just to get a leading story. While temptation is there for any reporter, it's the ones who are the most reputable that in the end will have an enriched career, impressive portfolio and will be granted with trust the more compelling interviews. People want to look good and stay healthy-not too much to ask! Although it's a new challenge, I love being able to be trusted with such responsibility.