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When documenting human tragedy, photojournalists frequently face ethical dilemmas in choosing between acting as dispassionate observers and "Good Samaritans." This study asked whether readers adopt a situational ethics rationale when they assess the photojournalist's decision to make a photograph of a person suffering severe trauma. Using a mixed experimental research design, the study presented a news situation, i.e., a photograph in which a woman was on fire, in differing versions. Results based an the responses of seventy-two readers clearly showed that readers adopted a situational ethics rationale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The content of 628 news and feature photographs in 10 elite American and Korean newspapers was analyzed for differences in composition, subject number and subject identification. The Korean approach to photojournalism was purely descriptive while the American approach was more interpretive. Koreans presented far more news, emphasized the group and maintained a consistent composition. Americans ran more features, emphasized the individual and varied composition. Five profession-related factors either reinforce or reflect the observed cultural differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results of a comparative visual analysis of front-page photographs in U.S. newspapers and photographs distributed by the Associated Press and Reuters wire services revealed that gatekeeping decisions played an influential role in the coverage of Hurricane Katrina in the late summer of 2005. Front-page photographs differed significantly from photographs provided by news wires. Overall, our analyses challenge the notion that decisions made by wire services dictate the visual coverage of a news event and suggest that gatekeeping selections and use of available information are key factors in visual framing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]