Navigating Ethics and Empathy in Disaster Photojournalism in Indonesia

This study examines the ethical challenges within Indonesian media’s disaster reporting, particularly focusing on the depiction of disaster victims. It focused on several major disasters, including the 2004 Aceh Tsunami, the 2006 Yogyakarta and Central Java earthquake, the 2010 Mt. Merapi Eruption, and the 2015 Sumatra Forest fires. Through thematic analysis of interviews with six journalists and two media practitioners, and a critical examination of three graphic photographs of the 2010 Mt Merapi eruption, this research delves into the ethical challenges encountered by Indonesian photojournalists. The article highlights a pressing gap in the Indonesian Journalists’ Code of Ethics regarding the disaster coverage. This gap often leads to the recurrent publication of distressing images, emphasizing the need for clearer, more comprehensive ethical standards. Moreover, the study contrasts individual journalists’ ethical awareness with broader industry trends towards sensationalism. This research contributes to the discourse on disaster photojournalism ethics, suggesting the significant need for policy development, journalist training programs, and the revision of journalistic codes of ethics. This emphasises the significance of balancing journalistic ethics with empathetic representation of victims and promotes fostering media literacy among the public.


INTRODUCTION
The media, including print newspapers, extensively covers disasters due to their significant news value, which impacts both human lives and the environment.These media play a crucial role in providing information to readers about the events occurring in a disaster-stricken area and the necessary actions that affected individuals should take.However, unlike in Japan and Australia, Indonesian media present a distinct representation of disaster by vividly depicting the visible suffering of victims.This portrayal, focusing on moments of despair, pain, and vulnerability, is found to prioritize sensationalism over sensitivity, leading to ethical dilemmas concerning the victims' right to privacy and the exploitation of their trauma for commercial gain (Irawanto, 2018;Lampito, 2015;Arif, 2010;Noviani, 2009;Silva and Eldridge, 2020).
The commercial nature of media organizations is evident in disaster reporting.

The intense competition among news
outlets to be the first on the scene during crises highlights this commercial drive in the industry (Anis, 2022).Such a competitive drive can influence the nature of disaster reporting, potentially exacerbating the focus on sensationalism and the commercialization of human suffering.Griffin (2010) and Ali (2014) have noted that photographs, particularly those depicting shocking events or mass destruction, possess a unique capacity to engage a global audience.This remarkable ability to grab attention also renders these graphic images highly marketable, attracting more readers and viewers, which in turn boosts their commercial value for media outlets.Building on this, Hoijer (2004) contends that media reporting on distant suffering is not just about informing the public.It can also be driven by more cynical commercial interests, where media entities commodify human tragedies for sale in a global marketplace.This problem, coupled with the country's frequent encounters with disasters, means that it is crucial to evaluate the ethical implications of disaster photography in Indonesia.
Sensationalism in disaster reporting is often closely linked to the level of professionalism in journalism.In Indonesia, the Journalists' Code of Ethics provides broad guidelines for news photographs publication, as seen in Article No. 4, which advises against creating false, slanderous, cruel, and filthy news reports, and describes 'sadistic' behavior as characterized by cruelty and a lack of sympathy (Dewan Pers, 2017).
Additionally, Article No. 9, emphasizes the need to uphold the privacy of news sources, barring conflicts with public interest, and defines "private life" as aspects of an individual's life not directly connected to public matters (Dewan Pers, 2017).Despite Framing theory suggests that the way information is presented (or 'framed') by the media can influence how it is understood and interpreted by audiences.Framing, as explained by Entman (1993)

Studies shows that the selection images
for publication is close related to the concept of newsworthiness, which is defined by several factors that determine whether a story is worthy of being reported (Bednarek and Caple, 2017).Galtung and Ruge (1965) propose a set of criteria that journalists often use to evaluate the newsworthiness of a story, which includes criteria such as timeliness, proximity, conflict, human interest, impact, prominence, and novelty.Bednarek and Caple (2016)  In order to achieve these aims, the study addresses the following research questions.For the analytical approach, this research employs thematic analysis to examine the transcripts of the interviews.Thematic analysis is a method for "identifying, analysing and reporting patterns (themes) within data" (Braun and Clarke, 2006).Thematic analysis focuses on identifying and highlighting recurrent ideas or patterns within the text.

This
The theme, according to Braun and Clarke (2006) "captures something important about the data in relation to the research question and represents some level of patterned response or meaning within the data set".
The study systematically organizes these patterns into emerging themes and further analyse and interpret them through the lens of the gatekeeping process, newsworthiness, and ethical considerations in journalism.
By doing so, it aims to provide a nuanced understanding of the complexities and challenges inherent in disaster reporting in Indonesia.
Thematic analysis is selected for its notable advantage of effectively summarising key features of a substantial amount of data.
In addition, it facilitates the identification of similarities and differences across the data set and can bring out recurrent themes and patterns that might not be immediately apparent.To enhance the primary data collected from interviews, this research also incorporates relevant secondary sources, including books and articles, to enrich the analysis.

DISCUSSION
Photojournalists and editors are at the forefront of these ethical considerations, embodying the principles of both framing theory and gatekeeping theory.They are responsible for determining what to capture, how to frame it, and ultimately, what to publish, carrying a significant weight in shaping public perception and discourse.
, describes a selecting process that "call[s] attention to some aspects of reality while obscuring other elements, which might lead audiences to have different reactions."Photojournalists and editors play a crucial role in this process, making deliberate choices about which aspects of a story to emphasize or omit, thus framing the audience's understanding of the event.Seelig (2005) characterizes the photo editor as 'the visual elite,' underscoring their important role in determining the visual narrative of news.This perspective aligns with the gatekeeping theory, as explained by Shoemaker and Vos (2009).They describe how editors function as gatekeepers, crucially determining what information is published and what is omitted.These gatekeepers in charge in evaluating a wide range of stories and images, selecting those that reach the public based on criteria such as newsworthiness, ethical considerations, and organizational policy.Together with framing theory, gatekeeping theory, as elaborated by Shoemaker and Vos, underscores the significant influence of photojournalists and editors in crafting the media landscape and, consequently, influencing the public's perception and response to news events.
detail how news values in visual journalism are constructed through elements such as eliteness, impact, novelty, personalization, consonance, and aesthetic appeal, among others.Each news value is linked with key devices in imagemaking: content elements like the presence of high-status individuals or scenes of destruction, and camera techniques such as angles and framing that convey significance or emotional resonance.For instance, eliteness is conveyed through images of recognizable figures or symbols of authority, while impact is highlighted by capturing the significant effects of events, such as destruction or emotional aftermath.This complex interplay of content and technique in visual storytelling shapes the news value and the audience's perception of a story.While the broad ethical challenges in photojournalism, including staging, accuracy, editing, and the implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI), are increasingly scrutinized, this study narrows its focus to the ethics of portraying victims in disaster imagery within Indonesian print newspaper.With Scopus data indicating limited scholarly attention to disaster photojournalism ethics in Indonesian newspapers, this research aims to address this gap by making a significant scholarly contribution to the understanding of photojournalism ethics as it pertains to disaster reportage in Indonesian print newspapers.It seeks to identify the norms and regulations guiding news photographers, highlight the primary professional ethical issues encountered in capturing and selecting images of disaster victims, and stimulate discourse on the necessity for ethical standard regulations in Indonesian photojournalism.

First
, how do Indonesian photojournalists and editors ethically navigate the portrayal of disaster victims, considering the impact on victims' dignity?Second, what are the limitations of Indonesia's Journalists' Code of Ethics in guiding ethical disaster coverage, and what improvements are necessary?In the following section, the paper provides an overview of the research methodology employed.It then delves into three main themes that were identified from the interview transcripts: the sensationalism often associated with disaster reporting, the ethical dilemmas faced by photojournalists, and the ethical frameworks guiding the depiction of disaster imagery within the context of Indonesian journalism.The paper concludes up by summarising the main findings, offering suggestions to tackle the identified challenges, and suggesting areas for further research.
photographs, while holding significant news value due to their profound effects on human lives, also bring to light the ethical challenges intrinsic to disaster coverage.Kompas and KR's coverage of this event provides a clear illustration of the ethical dilemmas that emerge in disaster journalism.It highlights the challenge of balancing an impactful narrative with the temptation to sensationalise.The difficulty lies in balancing the need to draw public attention to the gravity of the situation against the risk of exploiting the victims' suffering for increased readership.The concerns raised by a Kominfo representative about the potential for a 'double disaster' resonate deeply in this context.He warns against creating a 'double disaster,' where the second unfolds through the sensationalist reporting of the event, potentially intensifying trauma and sorrow for the audience and victims alike.Echoing his sentiment, a chief editor from a local Yogyakarta newspaper (KR) sheds light on the motivations behind sensationalist disaster reporting in Indonesian media.He highlights that commercial interests may drive the frequent use of dramatic, emotionally charged images to maintain newspaper sales.Meanwhile, the depiction of suffering in photographs remains a controversial topic within journalism globally(Silva and Eldridge, 2020;Arif, 2010;Bersak,

Figure 1 A
Figure 1 A woman's tearful aftermath in the wake of Merapi's eruption.(Kompas, 6 October 2010) In Indonesia, the portrayal of an individual's profound sadness or suffering, often captured in close-up shots, does not require consent.This refl ects an alarming gap in ethical standards, potentially infringing on the privacy and dignity of those affected.Regarding privacy and consent, a representative of Kominfo notes that there is a lack of specifi c regulations in Indonesia protecting the privacy of disaster victims in media reports.He mentions in the interview:"Socially speaking, protection is a right everyone deserves, as happiness and comfort in life come from being respected by others.We want privacy; we shouldn't expose everything.However, the problem lies in the regulation-or lack thereofregarding the protection of personal data.As of now, there is no specific regulation in place."(Author's translation).

Figure 2
Figure 2 Rescue workers transport a victim of the Mt.Merapi eruption.(KR, 28 October 2010) Another image, resembling the previous one, was published in KR on 6 November 2010.It portrays a deceased individual shrouded in a body bag, the hand emerging from the ashes, both humanizing the tragedy and preserving the dignity of the deceased.

Figure 3 A
Figure 3 A Mt Merapi victim's hand emerges from a body bag.(KR, 6 November 2010) The media coverage of the 2010 Mt.Merapi eruption in Indonesia presented numerous distressing images of the victims across both print and digital platforms.In addition to the three photographs analyzed in this paper (figures 1 -3), a multitude of images captured the profound suffering endured by the affected individuals.These selected photos underscore the strong