Case Study: Ethical Storytelling on the Streets
On Feb 23, 2022 our team was hired by Sacramento Steps Forward to document their bi-annual "Point-In-Time" count which collects data about the number of people experiencing homelessness in Sacramento.
Roughly 700 volunteers fanned out through the city, counting the number of unhoused people that they saw, and conducting surveys with those willing to participate. This count collects critical data that is needed to secure funding to address homelessness in our city. We are grateful to support this cause.
As a long-time visual storyteller, I know that it is very important to show faces and say the names of the people who otherwise remain unseen in this story unfolding around us. Without this storytelling, it is all too easy to drive by the many encampments lining our streets and not connect emotionally to the humans that live there.
I approached this assignment with these goals at the top of my mind. I consulted with Tamara, our ethical storytelling expert, ahead of time and devised a plan to obtain consent in a fast-paced and difficult situation. We both attended the event, with me making photographs and her explaining the consent forms.
We hit the streets at 7:30pm with a group of VIPS, three other news cameras in tow and Sacramento Steps Forward Staff. Things quickly fell apart and while our intentions were lofty, the execution was less than ideal.
Pack media and pressure to perform.
Our group followed a map that was given to us. About 45 minutes into our quest, we had yet to count a single unhoused person. The night was cold and people were not visible.
I began to feel that familiar news journalist feeling, an uneasiness deep in my stomach that I might come back empty-handed from my assignment. My ethical storytelling intentions began to slip away as I became hungry to get the story. I could sense that same feeling arising in the three other camera people present. I knew that the television crew especially, were pushing against their deadlines.
By the time we spotted our first homeless encampment, I was ready to pounce. But knowing that Tamara was there observing, and we had resolved to do things differently, I kept my feelings in check. Still, what occurred next was not pretty.
A group of about 12 people descended upon one tent with an unhoused occupant hiding within. That person kept the tent closed as they answered the survey questions. The photojournalists worked all of the angles possible; wide, medium and close shots.
“This was a paparazzi situation in the dead of night and I believe that the media photographers made those who were experiencing homelessness feel afraid. We were in a VIP group with important civic leaders which is why multiple cameras were present. I noticed that the people who were living unhoused were hard to find and may have been hiding in their tents. ”
Humanizing the paparrazi.
At this point, I was not feeling good about our situation and, having spent nearly 20 years in the journalism industry, I can safely say that my colleagues were not loving it either. So why is this happening?
Most photojournalists choose this profession because they have high ideals. They face low pay, brave harsh conditions, and face daily pressure to perform at high levels. Photojournalists face numerous stressors including PTSD from what they witness, attacks, both physical and verbal, and the expectation to deliver their work on sometimes impossible deadlines.
The reason photojournalists do this job at all is because they care about people and the positive role that stories play in our world.
I think that if we acknowledge the humanity of the press, then we can begin talking about ways in which we can improve the situation. For example, if we collaborated with each other instead of competed with one another in this situation, we could find creative ways to approach this scene differently. We could take turns making contact with people and let the photojournalist with the tightest deadline go first.
If there's one thing I'm learning in my pursuit of ethical storytelling its that planning, resources and support are needed to create the causes and conditions for it to occur. This is not a matter of one person being inherently more ethical than someone else.
Making contact.
One of the tactics I use to deal with the pack media situation is to find an exit route. Inevitably, in a situation like this there are others who feel the same way. I noticed, from the corner of my eye, a Sacramento Steps Forward staff member cross the street to another encampment and begin speaking with the people there. So I followed him.
Then, with a small group of three people present we were able to create the causes and conditions for full consent to occur. We asked for permission, explained where the stories would be used and gave the people a hand out which listed all of that information as well as a phone number to call if they had follow-up questions. After that, I was able to create photographs of 5 unhoused individuals who kindly allowed me into their lives.
I watched Autumn capture images with love and grace. She walked ahead of everyone and caught up with the guide who had experienced homelessness himself before. Together they found someone willing to share their story. This approach worked in that she could create beautiful images and I could get their consent. We were able to talk to people in depth and ask them follow up questions about how the experience of being photographed was for them. In some cases we stuck around and continued to speak with and support the storytellers.
“I watched Autumn capture images with love and grace. She walked ahead of everyone and caught up with the guide who had experienced homelessness himself before. Together they found someone willing to share their story. This approach worked in that she could create beautiful images and I could get their consent. We were able to talk to people in depth and ask them follow up questions about how the experience of being photographed was for them. In some cases we stuck around and continued to speak with and support the storytellers. ”
“If I may offer transparency. I was initially nervous because this was my first time in this environment and I wanted to do everything right, including making people feel like the humans that they are. I noticed that I had trouble using my words in the beginning when asking people to sign our consent forms, but I was fine by the time I needed to help the next person. I suddenly went into my supportive role. Through hearing their stories I learned that these were good people who were given bad circumstances in their lives. Trauma is part of that. ”
Creating connection and good will.
In my meeting with Tamara weeks prior she suggested that we follow up our documenting by asking our participants how they felt about the experience. This was something completely new to me and it is a practice that I will continue to do for the rest of my career. Just by asking a simple question, you are changing the entire experience for those being documented. People may feel discarded once your camera is put down and you walk away, your rapt attention disappearing in an instant.
This one point of contact afterward is everything. I remember talking openly with Jessica, one of the unhoused people that I photographed.
"I feel bad being hidden behind the camera," I said. "I need to make pictures because this story is very important. How was the experience of being photographed for you?"
She turned to me and gave me a genuine smile. "It was weird at first," she said. "But I got used to it. I understand. You have a job to do."
It was such a wonderful moment, the acknowledgement of our mutual humanity.
