Dignity vs. Humanity

In other words, we should not show images of or describe people in need — people for whom we might make a positive difference if we vividly tell their story. That, the dignity movement says, strips people of their dignity.

If you’ve ever met poor and suffering people — especially those in the developing world — you know they have dignity. As with Robina, dignity often is their most notable feature: deep wells of self-sufficient personal dignity that simply overshadows their poverty, loss or pain. There’s not a thing in the world you or I or any photographer or journalist can do to diminish that dignity.