How to Publish Ethical Photos in a Local Newspaper

Photograph the event in a way that does not portray one side of the story more than the other. When shooting any news event, the photographer must photograph the event as accurately as possible. When choosing to shoot a scene, consider the content of the picture. A tragic scene such as traffic accident or a family losing a house to a fire may be too graphic and considered unethical. As a photographer, you have a responsibility to present the facts, but how you choose to photograph the event can make the difference between an ethical and offensive picture.

Contact the editor or photo editor at the newspaper, provide him with an accurate description of your images and the context around them. Ask for the technical requirements for the images and how to send them to the paper.

Edit the picture to meet the technical requirements. Caption the image and be sure to include all of the basic information such as who is in the picture, what is happening, why is it happening and where it happened. Only perform basic editing functions. This includes editing for exposure, color balance and some cropping. In editorial photography, never add or remove elements from the photograph. The basic rule is to only do the type of editing that would have been possible in a wet darkroom.

Open your email program, create a new email and attach the picture as a file. Do not use the insert feature. The newspaper will want to have the actual file to make any necessary adjustments before they publish the picture. Send the picture to your contact. Call the contact back, confirm he has the image and answer any questions he may have.