The Boston Marathon Bombings: A Case Study in Visual Framing Ethics

ABSTRACT On April 15, 2013, two bombs were ignited near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring hundreds. The news “frames” used to depict the Boston Marathon bombings have contributed to our collective interpretation of this event. This study adopts a mixed-method approach to understand the ethical nature of the news frames used to represent the bombings. First, content analytic methods were used to codify the visual framing devices employed by newspapers during the aftermath of the marathon bombings. Our content analysis indicated the most frequent image framing devices were crowd reactions and suspects, with headlines focused on the cause of the bombings. A qualitative thematic analysis was then conducted based on in-depth interviews with photojournalism experts. Our thematic analysis resulted in three key themes that guide photojournalism when covering tragic events: storytelling importance, editorial decision-making, and professional codes.