Ethics - HN206 - Creating Documentary - Onuora - LibGuides at Millikin University

Ethics in Documentary Filmmaking

What ethical issues might you encounter when making documentaries? The reports and videos on this page discuss ethical issues that arise as the documentarian develops a relationship with her/his subjects, and with her/his audience.

Reports & Articles

Honest Truths: Documentary Filmmakers on Ethical Challenges in their Work
"From the Center for Social Media, this study provides a map of perceived ethical challenges that documentary filmmakers—directors and producer-directors—in the United States identify in the practice of their craft. It summarizes the results of 45 long-form interviews in which filmmakers were asked simply to describe recent ethical challenges that surfaced in their work."
Witness: Cameras Everywhere
A report from the non-profit WITNESS on "current challenges and opportunities behind video and technology, calling for a more viable environment for human rights in today’s world."
Cautionary Tales: Ethics in Documentary
An article from POV magazine by Pepita Ferrari discussing some examples of ethical pitfalls in documentary filmmaking, especially when considering the trend towards "docutainment."

Honest Truths: Documentary Filmmakers on Ethical Challenges in their Work

An excerpt from the 2010 Media that Matters Conference: "The Center for Social Media Director Pat Aufderheide discusses the findings of their report, Honest Truths: Documentary Filmmakers on Ethical Challenges in their Work, and leads the audience in a discussion about how they would handle different but common ethical situations that arise in documentary filmmaking" (54:47).