What would you do? Ethics, sports, kids

[JSPhoto]

I would like your opinons on this topic, granted it is sports related, however I'm curious as to what other photographers think of this. It may be controversial to some.

While shooting a girls high school soccer game I got a really great series of action shots as a girl tries to score and the goalie makes the big save. The girl trying to score crashes into the goalie. Unfortunately the goalie may have broken her leg as the other girl crashed into her. Remember, these are high school kids.

My question is:

As a photographer:
Would you turn the photos in to the paper knowing she possibly broke her leg?

As an editor:
Would you run any of the photos?

Discription of the two main shots:
#1: just after the ball left the kickers foot and headed towards the goalie. The goalie is falling down, halfway to the ground ready to grab the ball.

#2: the two players crashing together, and the goalie is in obvious pain. Looking closely at the shot it appears her leg IS breaking. But in newsprint you wouldn't notice that, you would notice the pain in her face however.


Now if these were pro or even Olympic players I'd run them. However considering they are kids, in high school I wouldn't. Soccer is an inherently dangerous sport by nature, yet, I don't think that these shots need to be run, at least not the second one. The first shot is like a thousand others I have taken and, if I hadn't talked to the AD I wouldn't have known she possibly broke her leg. I actually thought she bruised her leg or knee. Knowing she may have broken her leg I don't think it's right to show that shot either. I guess it's a personal "ethical" opinion.
I know the sports editor wouldn't run the shots knowing there was an injury to either player. It seems that he and I tend to share the same ethics in these cases.

I brought this up just to see what you thought about it and thought it would be a different than normal topic, one that may be controversial to some.

JS

[Trevor Ash]

Is a high school sprting event considered a public event? If so, I'd submit them little hesitation, even including a note about how the goalie was injured and to make a story from it.

[Asylum Steve]

Is a high school sprting event considered a public event? If so, I'd submit them little hesitation, even including a note about how the goalie was injured and to make a story from it.

I don't see this as a gray area at all, unless the photo graphically depicts a particularly gruesome injury to the point of being morbid.

Otherwise, it's no different than any news or sports photo, and has merit simply by telling part of the story of the event...

[ken1953]

I agree with TA and AS...submit them...these players may even enjoy seeing their pictures in the paper. You might also ask their opinion, if you have access to them, especially the one who got hurt.
Ken

[another view]

I'd submit it too, if it's a strong shot. The story behind it might make it a stong image even if it's not the best one from the game. Definately tell the editor the story, but let them make the call of what they want to run.

[JSPhoto]

Ok, here is the tricky part to this subject.

Many states, including Indiana now have privacy laws that cover kids injured in sporting events. Basically you can't use the information that would identify an injured student athlete without their parents permission... including photos.
For the editor they can't even say in the article that so and so was injured or broke a bone making a save. Basically it can only be mentioned in the following way.
" A players was injured on (enter team name) and they may have a broken leg".
But with the new privacy laws you can't identify the athlete in any way.

Really makes things more difficult for us photographers. And, what if, like a few years ago a kid injured his knee and the kid, his parents, and the coach said he was ok to continue. The next play he blew the knee out completely, and kept him from ever playing again. A photogtapher got a shot during the play where the kid was hurt the first time... thinking he was ok it was one he turned in, the paper ran it. Guess who got sued? Well it wasn't the coach, or the trainer.....


JS

[Asylum Steve]

[Many states, including Indiana now have privacy laws that cover kids injured in sporting events. Basically you can't use the information that would identify an injured student athlete without their parents permission... including photos.]

Never heard of that. I assume it only applies to student athletes under legal age...

I have to admit, it makes the photo decisions much more tricky. Glad I don't do that for a living anymore... ;)

[The next play he blew the knee out completely, and kept him from ever playing again. Guess who got sued? Well it wasn't the coach, or the trainer...]

Hmmm, if you're saying it was the publication or the shooter that got sued, I don't quite get that. I mean, how could it be THEIR fault the player got hurt again?

[another view]

Hmmm, if you're saying it was the publication or the shooter that got sued, I don't quite get that. I mean, how could it be THEIR fault the player got hurt again?

I don't get it either. Would it be the photographer specifically or the paper as an organization that gets sued? You can't really stop a photographer from taking a picture of a play where someone gets injured, because you wouldn't know until after the shutter is released. I guess it's in the decision whether or not to publish the image. All new to me too. I would guess it's the editor's call on whether or not to publish it, so they would be the one accountable - but I'm no lawyer!

[JSPhoto]

They tried sueing the photographer and the paper. Photographer got out of it claiming he didn't know the kid was injured.... guess he didn't notice the 5 minute time out for an injury. They did sue the paper, unfortunately there was never a case closed story. I know the editor got the boot, which bites because the photographer never told him the kid got hurt. Again, the editor claimed ignorance, yet the story line had the player suffering an unknown injury. I know it was settled, but nothing released on the settlement. I'm sure the paper had to pay something though.

[SmartWombat]

What a stupid world you live and work in !
Trouble is, it's probably just as daft here too
What's the world coming to?
Certainly not its senses ... perhaps just a big lawyers bill !

[mjs1973]

I just read an article in Outdoor Photographer yesterday about ethics in photography. The basic point of the story was honesty. We as photographers have to be honest with ourselves. The author of the article turned down a lucrative job to take some pics for a cigarette add. He didn't turn it down because he didn't want his images associated with cigarettes, but because he didn't like the story boards the art director came up with. Some of the images they wanted, went against what he had learned from camping in the mountains. The art director wanted a tent, next to an alpine lake, with a campfire, and TV... All things the photographer knew, and anyone who knew anything about camping in the mountains would also know, just wouldn't be done. You don't camp next to an alpine lake, you don't build a fire, and who in their right mind would pack a TV into the mountains? So he turned the job down.

So what does this have to do with your story? The photographer was being honest with himself, and he was able to sleep at night because of it. If you feel that it's not right to run photo's of a HS kid getting injured, then the right choice for you would be to not submit those images. You are being honest with yourself and making the right choice for your situation. As the posts show, not everyone agrees with that, but that is there choice. Personally, I would have no problem submitting them, legal issues asside.

Just my thoughts.

[opus]

When I was in high school ('84-'85), I shot one girls' basketball game. It was tough for me, I don't think the girls played well, and I didn't get very many good shots. But I did get a shot of the star player on the ground with an injury. I submitted the roll to the newspaper/yearbook staff, and the shot ended up in the yearbook. Personally, I didn't see a problem with it, so I was very surprised at how much flack the yearbook staff got from students over it.

I guess a journalist/photojournalist sees thing through a different set of eyes than the rest of the world.

[JSPhoto]

I know that before this privacy deal went through I'd have submitted them without thinking twice.... now I look at each and every photo carefully to make sure parents and kids won't pitch a fit over something. Occasionally one slips past and get holy hell over it the bext time the kid/parent sees me.

Worse yet though is another privacy issue that one school has now. Kids at this school have to sign or their parents do, I forget exactly to allow their photos on the school website, EVEN athletes! Now these same kids can end up in the paper... whats the difference? They could end up on the papers website.... no release needed.

With these two examples it's no wonder many photographers are quitting... it's rediculous.

JS