In late December a bombshell article by Kristen Chick for Columbia Journalism Review detailed 13 years of inappropriate behavior from Magnum photographer David Alan Harvey. Eleven women described a wide range of disturbing behavior that you can read about here:
https://www.cjr.org/special_report/magnum-photos-david-alan-harvey.php
It seems that his behavior is an open secret and many are questioning Magnum and fellow photographers for letting it slide over the years.
Personally I’m sickened by what is described in the article and the thought of young female photojournalists having to endure harassment from Harvey. We need to root this despicable behavior out of our industry and I support anyone who comes forward to help do it.
Additionally, a former assistant is saying he stages his photographs which follows along with his abuse of power as pointed out by Biz Herman in this excellent thread:
https://twitter.com/bizherman/status/1341541896653590529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
1/🧵 I want to underscore one part of @kristenchick's phenomenally reported story by on @davidalanharvey.
This is, at its core, a power issue. It is not just about personal conduct; it involves the very issues that underlie ethical journalistic practice.https://t.co/v0J0ZNdyXQ https://t.co/pgNjEyFwOb
— Biz Herman (@bizherman) December 23, 2020
Finally, there’s this Statement calling for collective accountability against sexual harassment in photography that you should read that was signed by many in the industry:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfZD3G2mVplqXn-BBau7q31kogBskbMwBQACVMHahOPUCwnvw/viewform
