On June 12, 2018, John Moore, an award-winning photographer for Getty Images, captured a photograph of a two-year-old Honduran girl that gained national attention. The image showed the little girl in distress and crying with indescribable emotion looking up as her mother was being detained at the national border in Texas. Moore’s photograph of the little girl blew up on the internet and social media, being seen by millions. The Washington Post described the photo of the little girl as being “a symbol of the Trump administration’s new “zero tolerance” border policies, which have caused hundreds of children to be removed from the parents who brought them here” (Selk, 2018, para.1).
Only nine days after the photo was taken, Time Magazine unveiled its cover for July 2, 2018. The cover was a manipulated photo showcasing President Trump looking down on the two-year-old Honduran girl sobbing in distress, with a title reading "Welcome to America." Time Magazine's goal was to highlight how President Trump's policy of separating families of illegal immigrants was affecting the children ("The Story Behind TIME's Trump 'Welcome to America' Cover", 2018, para.3). Along with featuring the little Honduran girl on the cover of the magazine, Time included an article inside explaining how Moore came to capture the photo of the girl being separated from her mother at the border. Within the article, Time alludes to the reality that the little girl pictured crying was carried away, screaming by U.S. border patrol agents (Schmidt, 2018, para.10).
From: https://time.com/5317522/donald-trump-border-cover/
However, once the Time Magazine cover and article was released, the father of the little girl pictured reached out to the media and said that she and her mother had not been separated at all (Phillips & Schmidt, 2018, para. 2). This new information changed how readers received the Time Magazine article. Time was trying to inform readers on the effects that separating children from parents at the border has, but now its main symbol, the little girl, is not an accurate representation of the issue being addressed. Moore also contacted Time Magazine to correct the misstated information because as he recalled the scene, he explained:
“At no point did I ever say that the girl and her mother had definitely been separated, but at the time I took the photo that was a very real possibility even for young children. I think I've been very clear from the start that the mother and daughter were taken away in the van together but that we didn't know what would happen to them.” (Schmidt, 2018, para.8).
Upon the new information being present, Time Magazine published a correction to the online version of the article featuring the Honduran girl’s story but stood by the decision to feature her on the cover. Edward Felsenthal, Time’s editor-in-chief, released a statement addressing the issue of the cover explaining how Time viewed the little Honduran girl as a symbol of the ongoing immigration debate in America and saying, “Our cover and our reporting capture the stakes of this moment.” (Sacks, 2018, para.8). In this case, the dilemma is whether or not to feature the image of the little Honduran girl crying on the cover of the magazine. On the one hand, the inclusion of the image gives a face to the real issue many families are facing at the national border and brings the concern more attention. However, on the other hand, since the little girl was not separated from her mother, using the image could be seen as deceitful, as the main argument being addressed is how inhuman it is to separate immigrant families.
When trying to decide if I should feature the little Honduran girl on the cover of the magazine, the ethical values must be established. One primary value is the public’s right to know. Since Moore is observing what is happening at the national border, American citizens have the right to know what is going on; to make informed decisions about policies. However, if the little Honduran girl is going to be featured, the public has the right to know her whole story, which leads to the next value, transparency. As Time’s decision-maker, I should be clear to the readers about the circumstances in which this image was captured and what is known about the little Honduran girl to maintain my credibility. If I knew that the little Honduran girl was not separated from her mother, that information should be made clear within the article featuring her. Another ethical value I have is accuracy. Before featuring the little Honduran girl on the cover and within the article, I should reach out to all the parties involved; the photographer, the border patrol agents, and the girl’s family. By obtaining the full picture of the image, I can report accurately on the events that took place and relay the information to the readers. A final value that I have is compassion. The image of the little Honduran girl is heart-wrenching as viewers see her very much in distress. Since the situation at the national border is susceptible to immigrant families, I need to be sympathetic and conscious of how readers will react to the image. Not only should I have compassion towards other immigrant families but also compassion towards the family being directly affected by the cover. I need to ensure that by featuring the little Honduran girl on the cover I am not harming that family’s life.
By looking at this case through John Mill’s Principle of Utility, or Utilitarianism, it could be challenged that featuring the little Honduran girl on the cover is ethical. Mill’s theory states that journalists are to “seek the greatest [good] for the greatest number.” Everyone involved in this case is the little Honduran girl and her family, the photographer, Time editors, Time readers, and the reporter. Featuring the little Honduran girl on the cover will bring more good to all of those involved. The good can be defined as the public’s right to know—to see how families are being treated at the national border. The little Honduran girl and her family will be recognized and sympathized with by the readers. Publishing will hopefully aid in their treatment at the border. Moore will be applauded for capturing such an emotionally charged image that represents what families are going through at the national border. Time editors and the reporter involved in the featuring of the little Honduran girl on the cover will be known for creating a symbol for what is happening at the national border. Being that this photograph of the little Honduran girl was taken as border agents were detaining her mother in Texas, it shows how the treatment of illegal immigrants directly affects children. Even though the little Honduran girl and her mother were not separated, the emotion captured by Moore can still resonate with many and give a sense of how the treatment of illegal immigrants is affecting the children. By bringing to light this family’s experience, the public can form opinions on policies put in place on illegal immigrant treatments. Since the featuring of the little Honduran girl provides the public with a depiction of what illegal immigrant families are going through, Mill’s would argue that her inclusion on the cover is ethical.
Another theory to consider when looking at whether or not to feature the little Honduran girl on the cover of Time Magazine is Aristotle’s Golden Mean. Aristotle states that “Moral virtue is a middle state determined by practical wisdom.” When looking at this case, two extremes need to be established. The first extreme would be to feature the little Honduran girl on the cover in an illustration that includes President Trump, with the headline “Welcome to America.” The second extreme would be not to include the image of the little Honduran girl at all and instead of an image of a family who was separated at the national border. However, the middle ground between these two extremes would be to feature the little Honduran girl but more accurately with no photo manipulation. The cover should exclude President Trump. The image of the little Honduran girl crying is powerful enough. Manipulating the photo to make it appear as if she is crying and looking at President Trump makes the issue more political than it should be. Having President Trump included also takes the attention away from the little Honduran girl, and adds more focus to political policies President Trump has in place. Manipulating the little Honduran girl crying dehumanizes her and makes her appear to be more of a symbol of an issue than a frightened little girl. The overall goal of the cover should be to highlight the distress that children at the national border are having and focus on this child in particular. Under Aristotle’s theory, he would argue that featuring the little Honduran girl on the cover is ethical as long as she is included accurately and humanely.
Finally, when looking at Judeo-Christian Tradition theory featuring the little Honduran girl would be considered unethical. Judeo-Christian Tradition theory states that journalists should respect a person’s dignity and not use someone as a means to an end. In this case, the little Honduran girl can be seen as being used as a means to an end for the issue of illegal immigration treatment. By featuring the image of her on the cover, it can be seen as using her due to the popularity of the image online. Since the image was widely viewed and shared online very quickly, featuring it on the cover within a matter of days of being taken would be seen as unethical. Especially if the full story behind the photograph cannot be captured. Manipulating the photo of the little Honduran girl dehumanizes her and makes more of a political statement, rather than showcasing her distress in the moment. Overall it is never the intention to use someone as a means to an end, therefore featuring the little Honduran girl on the cover would be unethical under this theory.
Before deciding to feature the little Honduran girl on the cover of Time, my loyalties must be recognized. As Time’s decision-maker, I am loyal to the readers. The readers are the ones who consume Time Magazine and rely on the magazine for a clear, accurate depiction of day’s events. I must not be deceitful to readers, as it can hurt my credibility and result in a lack of readership. Another loyalty I have is to the magazine’s principles and policies when reporting the news. By addressing that I am loyal to the readers and the magazine’s principles, a decision on whether to feature the little Honduran girl on the cover of the magazine can be made.
Based on the values, ethical theories, and loyalties addressed, I believe it is unethical for me to feature the little Honduran girl on the cover of Time Magazine. Looking at Aristotle’s
Gold Mean theory and Judeo-Christian Tradition theory leads me to my decision. While John Mill’s Principle of Utility theory would argue to feature the little Honduran girl on the cover, as it is the public’s right to know, I would be capitalizing on the little Honduran girl’s raw emotion and how the image was shared over social media. I would be using the little Honduran girl as a means to an end, which is unethical. However, if I wanted to feature the little Honduran girl on the cover, I would do so by using the middle ground from Aristotle’s Golden Mean. If the little Honduran girl is featured without being manipulated to be looking at President Trump, it would be seen as a more ethical way to feature her; since the public does have a right to know how immigrant families, especially children, are being treated at the national border. Even though the little Honduran girl was not separated from her mother, the image still captures the agony and distress illegal immigrant children are going through at the national border and brings it to people’s attention. If the article about the little Honduran girl within the magazine articulates that she was not separated from her mother than the featuring her on the cover would be appropriate, and I would not be seen as using deception towards readers. Overall, the featuring of the little Honduran girl on the cover of Time Magazine is unethical if done so through photo manipulation.
References
Phillips, Kristine & Schmidt, Samantha. (2018 June 22). The crying Honduran girl on the cover of Time was not separated from her mother. The Washington Post. Retrieved from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/06/22/the-crying- honduran-girl-on-the-cover-of-time-was-not-separated-from-her-mother-father-says/
Sacks, Ethan. (2018 June 22). Time issues correction for photo of crying 2-year-old migrant. NBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/immigration-border- crisis/time-issues-correction-photo-crying-2-year-old-migrant-n885836
Schmidt, Samantha. (2018 June 22). The crying Honduran girl on the cover of Time was not separated from her mother, father says. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from: https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-honduran-girl-border-photo-20180622- story.html
Selk, Avi. (2018 June 18) ‘I wanted to stop her crying’: The image of a migrant child that broke a photographer’s heart. The Washington Post. Retrieved from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/06/18/i-wanted-to-stop-her- crying-the-image-of-a-migrant-child-that-broke-a-photographers-heart/
The Story Behind TIME's Trump 'Welcome to America' Cover (2018 June 21). TIME. Retrieved from: https://time.com/5317522/donald-trump-border-cover/