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Ethics of Protest Photography in Thailand
30 October, 2022 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Many have talked about the protests in Thailand in the last few years, but little has been said about the ethics of taking photographs in the midst of conflict. This session hopes to stimulate discussion about this important, yet overlooked aspect of photojournalism. On 30 October 2022 at 5.30PM at SEA Junction, Assistant Professor Karntachat Raungratanaamporn, will share his experiences photoreporting on protests in the last two years and the difficult choices he was confronted with. A major issue is the pledge to uphold neutrality and yet photographers have opinions that shape the ways images are taken, the decision to whether or not to take a particular picture and the visual interpretation of the circumstance.
Other ethical matters include how to ensure protection of the identities of participants; how to report (or not) on expression of hate; documentation (if any) of children present in demonstration sites; and cultural and moral ideas regarding images of death and blood also in relation to respect for the victims and the families. Attention will also be given to the ethics in the framing of photographic stories with the discussion of the speaker’s own reportage since the Thammasat University rally in 2020 to many street demonstrations in the Bangkok area, to document one of the country’s crucial political and social changes as presented in the book “End in This Generation”.
Karntachat Raungratanaamporn’s talk will be moderated by Teeranai Charuvastra, journalist of Prachatai English. The slide show will also be available for view from 25 to 30 October and so will be the photo book.
Speaker/Moderator’s Profile
Assistant Professor Karntachat Raungratanaamporn, a Full-time lecturer at the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, Thammasat University. He oversees subjects such as multimedia, photography, and photojournalism while also working in the field covering variety of stories from culture, environment, protest, and human lives. He previously covered several projects, for instance, Cobra Gold 2011 (Photobook), Thai Flood 2011 (images selected by AP), Royal Barge Procession, Werng: Before gone the 2015 (Exhibition) and many more which also include academic papers and research. Nowadays, he follows the movement of the young generation who are rising to fight for their future which this movement occur from inside his university.
Teeranai Charuvastra, a 10-year experiences journalist, now working at Prachatai English. Teeranai is Vice President for Press Freedom and Media Reform, Thai journalists’ association.
Organizer
SEA Junction, established under the Thai non-profit organization Foundation for Southeast Asia Studies (ForSEA), aims to foster understanding and appreciation of Southeast Asia in all its socio-cultural dimensions- from arts and lifestyles to economy and development. Conveniently located at Room 408 of the Bangkok Arts and Culture Center or BACC (across MBK, BTS National Stadium), SEA Junction facilitates public access to knowledge resources and exchanges among students, practitioners and Southeast Asia lovers. For more information see www.seajunction.org, join the Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/1693058870976440/ and follow us on twitter and Instagram @seajunction
