A Guide to Immersive Ethics

Published July 10, 2020

As media evolves, journalists are presented with new opportunities for storytelling; re-thinking what defines “ethical storytelling” in new and powerful media is part of that process. No, not throwing out the rules — instead, being thoughtful about how we interpret the standards of our industry as they apply to emerging methods and technology, and understanding the potential implications of our actions.

This guide is meant for those who are looking for a way into the discussion about ethical storytelling in emerging tech and for those who’ve already made headway and want to compare notes.

Immersive media (including 360 video, augmented reality, virtual reality, and other 3D experiences) presents several key differences from traditional media that demand a re-translation of long-held ethical standards:

The audience has more agency and control.
The experiences and how they’re presented are often new to audiences and sources.
The perception of immersive and psychological impacts are still being discovered.
Capture techniques require more post-production work (repair/rebuilding and optimization) in post-production than photo or video.
There are very real challenges, limits and flaws to the technology (for the user experience and creators).
The aesthetic can be more evocative of a video game than a homepage.

The goal of this guide is to provide resources and recent use cases, with the acknowledgment that this space is changing rapidly and new considerations come to light every day.

Continue below with ethical questions to ask when starting a new immersive project, links to additional resources and four case studies:

Download this entire guide as a PDF

Journalism 360 is a global network of storytellers accelerating the understanding and production of immersive journalism. Our mission is to help news organizations, journalists, technologists, content creators and journalism educators experiment with all forms of immersive storytelling, including but not limited to 360 video, augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality.

This guide was created by the Online News Association with the support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

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Authors

Theresa Poulson

Product Manager, McClatchy

Jayson Chesler

Producer, McClatchy

Thinking Critically about Ethics

Here are some questions you may consider as you embark on a new immersive project. These questions are not meant to stifle exploration, rather to inspire careful consideration of the potential effects of how we’re reporting, producing, and delivering our story to audiences.

Production

Can the subject be captured, or will a recreation be more accurate?
Will a failed capture distort the truth? Photogrammetry software, for example, is accurate if the inputs are accurate, but is there a risk of photos being incomplete, over-exposed or lacking visual details?
Is the exact subject needed for the story? Can the asset be representative of the subject? Can the subject be modeled faithfully?
If capture isn’t possible, is modeling from photos viable?
How will people be captured and how might that affect how they are perceived?
What tools will be appropriate for capturing people?
Is the presentation style of volumetric video distracting? Is it a problem if only the front of the subject is captured?
Will the stillness of a photogrammetry capture be too lifeless or unsettling? Will clothes or hair be misrepresented by photogrammetry?
Is motion capture possible? If not, will stock motions not recorded from your subject distort the truth?
Could your approach for capturing people inadvertently dehumanize them, present them as an “other,” portray them as a villain, or accentuate or diminish features in a way that could appear like a caricature?
How will you talk with your sources to gain informed consent?
Are they aware of what the capture will entail?
Do they understand how and where their likeness may appear, and what users could do with that asset?
Should you ask them to sign a release that outlines all of the above?
How will places and spaces be captured?
How will you work with property owners to gain permission?
Does providing an immersive view of a space present a security risk?
What will be your approach for objects?
What are the important details of an object, and can you capture and represent objects accurately?
If the context of an object is important to the story, can you accurately capture and represent it?

Designing experiences

Will the design provide for enough context needed to tell the story?
Do you need to disclose anything in an editor’s note or warn about sensitive content? Where should those notes be placed? And what kind of language should you use?
Does the design take into account one’s physical safety and awareness of one’s surroundings?
How do you onboard users into the experience?
Is there a way to contact creators?
Is there an opportunity to show the audience how you created the experience?

Testing experiences

What is the user’s perception of the purpose of the story?
Do they trust what they see?
What questions do they have?
Is it clear what action they need to take? If not, do they miss any critical parts of the story by not taking that action?
Does the story hold up from different points of view, and fields of view? On different devices?

Controversial and sensitive topics

Could viewing your experience be traumatic for viewers? How might you account for this in your editorial decision-making?
If a story is presented in AR, are you comfortable with viewers placing the story in any environment and taking photos? How might you guard against recontextualizing?
Like a statue, could creating a 3D scan leave the impression that the object or scene represented is something to be memorialized or honored? How might you account for that in its presentation?

Distribution

If your first line of distribution is available on limited devices or platforms, can you make adaptations to make it more accessible to other audiences?