Responsibility and Objectivity in the Conflict Photojournalism of Don McCullin

The culmination of a year's study, this dissertation explores the sixty-year career of Don McCullin. His work raises questions about the viability of objectivity during our digital age, when photo manipulation and smartphone photography are commonplace. His images also make us consider the responsibilities – both ethical and professional – of the photojournalist in conflict zones. This discussion is particularly relevant when it involves the photographing of human subjects. I argue that this responsibility is not confined to McCullin, but is also applicable to everyone who interacts with his work. Publishers, curators and viewers have influence over the meaning of a photograph and how the events that it depicts are remembered. Images of atrocity are embroiled in ethical concerns long after the moment of their capture. You can find copies of this document on JSTOR.