Ethical Dilemma Created by Media Circulation of the Graphic Images of Child Refugees: A Case Study of Aylan Kurdi

This study examines the coverage of the iconic graphic images of children (who died an unnatural death) in the media, particularly in newspapers. Precisely, it focuses on an iconic graphic image of Aylan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy who was drowned and whose body was washed up on a beach in Turkey, while his family was attempting to reach Greece. The circulation of this image in the media and how it has been presented in different newspapers is the subject of the current study. The researchers discuss the possibility of publishing this photo in newspapers in relation to the Codes of Ethics of SPJ. The findings reveal that the photo of Aylan Kurdi changed the world’s point of view about the Syrian refugee crisis. They also signify the fact that it is important to provide appropriate context to the graphic images circulating in the print media. Indeed, the context written under the images published in newspapers and the one that circulates in the media are significant because it hails a large number of audience. Keywords: iconic graphic images, media, newspapers, portrayal, refugees