Photography is a nonverbal language that contains messages in visual form. That is, there is always a message that the photographer delivered in each frame of his picture. In journalistic photography, the messages conveyed are facts and information about an event.
These messages are objective, but how they are then "packed" by the photographer can be very subjective. Background, life experience, or perception of the photographer to the facts and information that gave rise to the nature of subjectivity to the message.
The subjectivity is one of them formed from the technical elements when shooting, such as lens selection, composition or shooting angle. This technical element is chosen by the photographer to package the message according to his perception.
Top photo, a two-year-old toddler infected by HIV virus is fed her mother's lunch at the Fatmawati Hospital ward, Jakarta, Wednesday (13/1/2010). Patients' families are overcharged for millions of rupiah hospital fees and some media report pasein conditions. One of the impacts of the news without considering ethics is the rejection of the victim's family by the people in his hometown.
Another example, photos of malnourished children in Asmat, Papua, occurred recently. While photographers may not have the intent of generating horror, technical shootings create horror perceptions for those who see them. However, some people may find it reasonable and unremarkable.
The photo above is a toddler who was admitted to RSUD Agats, Papua, due to suffering from measles, Friday (12/1). The symbolic language of the photo already represents how the real condition of the children in Agats. A thin and dry body with no clothes, with an oxygen hose still in place, is enough to represent empathy to understand how apprehensive the lives of children in Agats.
Horror perception is built on the construction of thinking, life experiences, educational background, social environment, and other different factors in each individual. For this reason, social norms are built as a common consensus that applies to one particular group.
For certain professions such as journalists, then the restrictions are governed by the Code of Ethics of the Press Council, certainly as a framework of the press movement to be professional. Equally important is how each photo of the journalist can capture momentum through his camera shots and be able to inspire the empathy of anyone who sees his photograph, but without exploiting the subject of his photograph