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What are the ethics that govern caption writing?

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Accuracy in Captions
• Just as our news photographs must reflect reality, so too should our captions. They must adhere to the basic rules of accuracy and freedom from bias and must answer the basic questions of good journalism. Who is in the picture? Where was it taken? When was it taken? What does it show? Why is a subject doing a particular thing?
• When communications permit, photographers must remain contactable until their work is published to allow editors to clarify the content of photos and captions.
• Captions are written in the present tense and should use concise simple English. They generally consist of a single sentence but a second sentence should be added if additional context or explanation is required.
• Contentious information, like death tolls in conflict, must be sourced. The caption must explain the circumstances in which a photograph was taken and state the correct date.
• Photos and captions must avoid juxtaposing people and subjects with unrelated matters, suggesting membership in a group or participation in an activity when there is no evidence to support the suggestion.
• For instance, a photo of an ordinary person exiting a bank combined with a caption about customer fraud at banks unfairly suggests the person in the photo somehow is connected to the fraud. Similarly, a person seen in an area where drug use is rampant is not necessarily involved in that activity. We should not suggest that someone is involved in an activity based solely on where they happen to be located.
• Captions must not contain assumptions by the photographer about what might have happened, even when a situation seems likely. Explain only what you have witnessed. All other information about an event must be sourced unless you are certain of your information.
• For instance, someone marching at a rally for same-sex marriage is likely a supporter of same-sex marriage, but it would be incorrect for our caption to suggest that the person is gay.
• Captions also should not make assumptions about what a person is thinking; e.g., "England captain David Beckham ponders his future after his team was knocked out of the World Cup soccer finals." Stick to what the photo shows and what you know.

NatalieR answered the question on June 16, 2022 at 06:20

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What are the ethics that govern caption writing?

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