November 24, 2007 2:39 PM PST
Canon violates journalistic ethics...twice
Posted by Michael Tiemann

Earlier this year the National Football League (NFL) announced new
"security" rules requiring that all professional photographers wear
NFL-issued red vests or lose their stadium access. What the
photographers discovered was that these NFL-issued vests also carried
the Canon logo, and that has led to outrage and protests across the
professional community. Turns out that outrage was justified.

CNET senior staff writer Stephen Shankland covered this controversy in a
NewsBlog posting, and the National Press Photographers Association makes
it quite clear what Stephen reported: that Canon put professional
photographers into an ethical pickle, and they are furious. So furious
that the Chicago Tribune, for example, has decided that if the NFL won't
change the vests or their rules, they will "cover the NFL without visuals."

In theory, any random Joe should be free to endorse any random product
and, if they are lucky, be paid a fair price to do so. But when a person
of a specific profession makes a specific recommendation related to that
profession, it should be completely clear what compensation, if any, is
being paid. And such compensation should be fairly negotiated between
the two parties. Would you want to know if your doctor was being paid to
push a drug on you (or that the drug's regulator has a financial
interest in the companies they regulate)? Would you want to know if your
financial planner was paid by companies whose stocks he's recommending
(or that they don't even know what they are selling)?

Sadly, fewer people and organizations are upholding high ethical
standards as companies find new ways to push people from neutral to
biased territory. That in turn makes many of us suspicious when we read
a glowing review in a magazine or on the Web. And yet, some crave-worthy
products are worth buying. And some products are of such quality that
they are worth recommending. I have bought and used Canon cameras and
lenses for nearly 30 years, and they are fantastic products in every
way: mechanically, electronically, and optically. As products go, I
recommend Canon. And no, I have never been paid a penny by Canon to
endorse its gear. So what's the beef?

As an industry leader, Canon should know that the first job of the
photojournalist is to faithfully and accurately report the news through
images, not to become an image unto themselves. Forcing photojournalists
to become props at the events they cover violates the first principle of
the job. And now Canon is using just such images to promote its gear: