�Donna DeCesare

Witness: Photographers, Journalists, and Social Workers Respond to Tragedy

Location:	New York City
Event Date:	December 3, 2008
Speakers:	Grace Christ, Donna DeCesare, Jack Saul, Bruce Shapiro

Unlike social workers or therapists—the witnesses of the helping professions—journalists and photographers function mainly to inform, interpret, and bridge rather than to help directly. Documentary photographers can inspire understanding and compassion with their images and can contribute to opening paths to assistance.

Yet, there are pitfalls and ethical challenges when documenting stories about communities or individuals who have been through traumatic experiences. This panel explored ways to strengthen the impact of documentary practice, sharing knowledge and practices of inclusion across disciplines.

Panelists

Bruce Shapiro, Executive Director, the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma (moderator)
Grace Christ, Professor, Columbia University School of Social Work
Donna DeCesare, Photographer and Associate Professor, University of Texas School of Journalism
Jack Saul, Assistant Professor of Clinical Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

This event was jointly sponsored by the Open Society Institute Documentary Photography Project, the Columbia University School of Social Work, and the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma.

DeCesare's exhibition Sharing Secrets: Children's Portraits Exposing Stigma is part of the Moving Walls 12 photography exhibition organized by the Open Society Institute and is on display at the Columbia School of Social Work. For more information about the Moving Walls exhibition, please visit www.movingwalls.org.