Ste_S
Well-known
The statement is pretty terrible. The CJR article alleges Magnum knew of allegations from as early as 2009; Magnum now say "These are not accounts that we had previously heard..."
If it does come to light, as CJR alleges, that Magnum sat on reports from 2009 then they're finished I think.
PKR
Veteran
Ah.. Yes, that's a problem, even if all parties are cool with it, making it public is a different matter.
In remembering, I quit looking at Harvey's stuff when IG changed their viewing policy for non account holders.
Anyway, it seems, given his want to make his actions public, he must think he's doing nothing wrong? Maybe, his ego is so big that, he thinks the level of deacency practiced by many of us no longer applies to him? I don't know the man, just an observation.
In any case, this thread is likely to be a long one. People may begin coming out of the woodwork, now that they think it safe to talk about their experiences with Harvey. This will take a huge toll on Magnum and the good people in that agency. It's too bad. I wonder if their income has already been effected by this event?
newsgrunt
Well-known
I am friends with several people mentioned in this story and they are beyond reproach. DAH shld be booted. Would loved to have been a fly on the wall during their latest meetings.
PHAROLDO
Member
I stoped following him on all social media
jvo
Established
If you read the Columbia Journalism article, you have a clear and factual understanding of very inappropriate behavior.
Is it a court of law - no. It is damning evidence from multiple people over a period of time that is inescapable. Sadly this man, and Magnum, have behaved shamefully.
Is it a court of law - no. It is damning evidence from multiple people over a period of time that is inescapable. Sadly this man, and Magnum, have behaved shamefully.
emraphoto
Veteran
I agree with this. I also know a number of people named in the article and trust their accounts. There is much information that has not been made public and I would suggest all consider this. Arthur has publicly stated it.
The VII story and shake-up as of late was not a result of AK’s behaviours. I caution against linking the two.
PKR
Veteran
PKR
Veteran
Lawyer's document.
I tried to upload 3 times. I'll try again later.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eq_1R9oW4AI2k2C?format=jpg&name=4096x4096
I tried to upload 3 times. I'll try again later.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eq_1R9oW4AI2k2C?format=jpg&name=4096x4096
fireblade
Vincenzo.
He's not the only one. Let's say in certain other non western countries you will never hear of such things from those who have been abused, and nothing would be done to rectify it....and western men know how to take advantage of it.
filmtwit
Desperate but not serious
PKR
Veteran
I wonder if, things will get (more) legal at this point?
Snip
David Alan Harvey
@davidalanharvey
·
23h
I have resigned from Magnum Photos. For the Magnum photographers I have nothing but admiration. I thank my friends who have waited to see and hear the full story. Your trust was not misplaced.
https://twitter.com/davidalanharvey
PKR
Veteran
How Magnum Photos is cleaning up its act
Tom Seymour
Feb 1, 2021
5-7 minutes
Harvey photographed in Havana in 2017. The photographer denies the claims of inappropriate behaviour that have been published in the Columbia Journalism Review and has vowed to clear his name Christopher Michel in 2017
Magnum Photos announced on 5 January that it will hold an independent investigation into the conduct of David Alan Harvey, a 23-year veteran of the agency, after 11 women publicly accused the photographer of a slew of sexual misconduct and harassment allegations. Harvey denies the allegations.
The accusations were published in an article in the Columbia Journalism Review (CJR), which alleges that Harvey used Magnum events, workshops and masterclasses, as well as his own mentorship schemes, to make unsolicited advances at young female photographers, including suggestive comments, unwanted sexual solicitations and masturbating without consent on video calls. The women targeted, the article notes, were often of colour and from developing nations. It also claims that Harvey’s behaviour was first reported to Magnum in 2009.
Numerous Magnum members have publicly given their support to the women quoted. Taking to social media, the Iranian photographer Newsha Tavakolian, the Indian photographer Sohrab Hura and the Belgium photographer Bieke Depoorter all voiced their support for the article’s sources.
Further, 640 photography professionals signed an open letter last month calling on the organisation to “go beyond crisis-management methods; to not allow time, bureaucratic and legal limitations to get in the way; to not once again place the entire burden of proof on survivors, but instead to seek every possible alternative while gathering evidence and witness testimonies.” Signatories included Magnum photographers Carolyn Drake, Hannah Price, Nanna Heitmann and Cristina De Middel, and Magnum’s global education director Shannon Ghannam.
Lawyer-led investigation
In response to the new information contained in the CJR article, Magnum’s president Olivia Arthur and chief executive Caitlin Hughes have announced an independent investigation into Harvey’s conduct throughout his more than two decades at the agency.
Snip
The CJR article also suggests other Magnum members, including the late René Burri, were made privy to Harvey’s conduct. Asked if the investigation will attempt to ascertain who in the Magnum circle knew of and potentially enabled Harvey’s alleged behaviour, Hughes said: “The inquiry will consider Magnum’s culture, processes and procedures, and how complaints have been handled in the past. It will make findings and recommendations for how we can strengthen our commitment to safeguarding. Olivia and I commit to publishing these findings and to acting on any recommendations.”
“David Alan Harvey will not be cancelled”
In a statement from his attorney, Harvey categorically denied all of the allegations and has vowed to clear his name and seek reparations from numerous sources in court.
“For more than four months, Magnum has proactively scoured the earth pleading for accusers to come forward with evidence of misconduct of Mr Harvey,” the statement said. “Magnum has repeatedly failed.” Harvey “looks forward to holding those accountable who have wilfully and recklessly set about to destroy his reputation after an exemplary career and over a half-century of mentoring aspiring photographers across the globe”, the statement continued, ending with: “David Alan Harvey will not be cancelled.”
In an email exchange with The Art Newspaper, Harvey’s attorney revealed that Harvey will also seek damages from numerous sources he claims have defamed his reputation: “Others will also be held to account for their respective roles in intentionally and negligently harming Mr Harvey’s reputation,” the attorney said.
In addition to the investigation, on 14 January Magnum published its members’ code of conduct and public complaints policy, a legally-binding document that governs the behaviour of Magnum members and employees, but which the agency has kept confidential. Hughes and Olivia have apologised for not publishing the code when accusations against Harvey first entered the public realm.
Magnum has also committed to publishing a new child safeguarding policy—a long-held demand by photography activists.
more
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/magnum-photos-probes-sexual-misconduct-claims
Tom Seymour
Feb 1, 2021
5-7 minutes
Harvey photographed in Havana in 2017. The photographer denies the claims of inappropriate behaviour that have been published in the Columbia Journalism Review and has vowed to clear his name Christopher Michel in 2017
Magnum Photos announced on 5 January that it will hold an independent investigation into the conduct of David Alan Harvey, a 23-year veteran of the agency, after 11 women publicly accused the photographer of a slew of sexual misconduct and harassment allegations. Harvey denies the allegations.
The accusations were published in an article in the Columbia Journalism Review (CJR), which alleges that Harvey used Magnum events, workshops and masterclasses, as well as his own mentorship schemes, to make unsolicited advances at young female photographers, including suggestive comments, unwanted sexual solicitations and masturbating without consent on video calls. The women targeted, the article notes, were often of colour and from developing nations. It also claims that Harvey’s behaviour was first reported to Magnum in 2009.
Numerous Magnum members have publicly given their support to the women quoted. Taking to social media, the Iranian photographer Newsha Tavakolian, the Indian photographer Sohrab Hura and the Belgium photographer Bieke Depoorter all voiced their support for the article’s sources.
Further, 640 photography professionals signed an open letter last month calling on the organisation to “go beyond crisis-management methods; to not allow time, bureaucratic and legal limitations to get in the way; to not once again place the entire burden of proof on survivors, but instead to seek every possible alternative while gathering evidence and witness testimonies.” Signatories included Magnum photographers Carolyn Drake, Hannah Price, Nanna Heitmann and Cristina De Middel, and Magnum’s global education director Shannon Ghannam.
Lawyer-led investigation
In response to the new information contained in the CJR article, Magnum’s president Olivia Arthur and chief executive Caitlin Hughes have announced an independent investigation into Harvey’s conduct throughout his more than two decades at the agency.
Snip
The CJR article also suggests other Magnum members, including the late René Burri, were made privy to Harvey’s conduct. Asked if the investigation will attempt to ascertain who in the Magnum circle knew of and potentially enabled Harvey’s alleged behaviour, Hughes said: “The inquiry will consider Magnum’s culture, processes and procedures, and how complaints have been handled in the past. It will make findings and recommendations for how we can strengthen our commitment to safeguarding. Olivia and I commit to publishing these findings and to acting on any recommendations.”
“David Alan Harvey will not be cancelled”
In a statement from his attorney, Harvey categorically denied all of the allegations and has vowed to clear his name and seek reparations from numerous sources in court.
“For more than four months, Magnum has proactively scoured the earth pleading for accusers to come forward with evidence of misconduct of Mr Harvey,” the statement said. “Magnum has repeatedly failed.” Harvey “looks forward to holding those accountable who have wilfully and recklessly set about to destroy his reputation after an exemplary career and over a half-century of mentoring aspiring photographers across the globe”, the statement continued, ending with: “David Alan Harvey will not be cancelled.”
In an email exchange with The Art Newspaper, Harvey’s attorney revealed that Harvey will also seek damages from numerous sources he claims have defamed his reputation: “Others will also be held to account for their respective roles in intentionally and negligently harming Mr Harvey’s reputation,” the attorney said.
In addition to the investigation, on 14 January Magnum published its members’ code of conduct and public complaints policy, a legally-binding document that governs the behaviour of Magnum members and employees, but which the agency has kept confidential. Hughes and Olivia have apologised for not publishing the code when accusations against Harvey first entered the public realm.
Magnum has also committed to publishing a new child safeguarding policy—a long-held demand by photography activists.
more
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/magnum-photos-probes-sexual-misconduct-claims
kshapero
South Florida Man
All the more reason to respect all, ladies especially. I wish the RFF'ers represented the outside population better. It seems that power really has a corrupted force on certain men. Disgusting.
agentlossing
Well-known
I think prestige may be a better absolute term than power, but unfortunately prestige can masquerade as actual power pretty effectively some of the time. Nothing like it to bloat a person's ego, though.
PKR
Veteran
Photographer David Alan Harvey resigns from Magnum after sexual abuse allegations
Tom Seymour
4-5 minutes
The veteran photographer David Alan Harvey has announced his resignation from Magnum Photos after the agency’s board voted to permanently remove him—the first time the agency has agreed to remove a member in its 76 year history.
Harvey took the decision to resign before a general vote across the Magnum membership, scheduled this week.
In a statement, Magnum made clear the agency is willing to accept the testimony of the 11 women who broke cover to accuse Harvey of sexual harassment and abusive behaviour. Harvey denies their accusations, and insists on his innocence.
“Magnum would like to reiterate its apology to the victims and survivors,” the agency said.
In a tweet, Harvey said: “I have resigned from Magnum Photos. For the Magnum photographers I have nothing but admiration. I thank my friends who waited to see and hear the full story. Your trust was not misplaced.”
The board’s decision to remove Harvey came at the denouement of an independent investigation into the photographer’s behaviour, launched in January of this year after 11 women made claims against Harvey in a long-form Columbia Journalism Review article, published on 21 December 2020.
One of the women to go public with her experience of sexual harassment at the hands of Harvey was Alicia Vera, a respected photographer for publications including Time and The New York Times who, in 2009, when she was 23 years old and beginning a career in photojournalism, was invited to assist and be mentored by Harvey. During a Skype call set up to ostensibly talk about her work, Vera recalled Harvey “at some point stood up, turned off the light, and it became clear to me that he was masturbating,” she told the Columbia Journalism Review.
“Harvey's statements about us lying is extremely hurtful and traumatising but I'm also not surprised by his statement,” Vera told The Art Newspaper when asked for her reaction to the news of Harvey’s resignation and his threat to bring legal action against the women who came forward.
“White men in power have gotten away with bad behaviour since the beginning of time,” Vera says. “I know in my heart that what we have said is the truth and something that I personally have carried for ten years. It has done more damage than he or Magnum could ever imagine.”
The article details how Harvey’s behaviour was reported to staff at Magnum as early as 2009, but the agency did not take action for more than a decade.
Snip
There is no evidence that Harvey has brought any legal proceedings against any of the women in the article, or against Magnum. Harvey was contacted for comment.
Snip
In response to a request for further comment, a spokesperson for Magnum said: “As this is a real event that impacts upon people’s lives and a confidential investigation process, we can’t comment further on details. Magnum is grateful to those people who cooperated with the investigation and recognises the victims and survivors.”
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/new...ency-s-history-after-sexual-abuse-allegations
Tom Seymour
4-5 minutes
The veteran photographer David Alan Harvey has announced his resignation from Magnum Photos after the agency’s board voted to permanently remove him—the first time the agency has agreed to remove a member in its 76 year history.
Harvey took the decision to resign before a general vote across the Magnum membership, scheduled this week.
In a statement, Magnum made clear the agency is willing to accept the testimony of the 11 women who broke cover to accuse Harvey of sexual harassment and abusive behaviour. Harvey denies their accusations, and insists on his innocence.
“Magnum would like to reiterate its apology to the victims and survivors,” the agency said.
In a tweet, Harvey said: “I have resigned from Magnum Photos. For the Magnum photographers I have nothing but admiration. I thank my friends who waited to see and hear the full story. Your trust was not misplaced.”
The board’s decision to remove Harvey came at the denouement of an independent investigation into the photographer’s behaviour, launched in January of this year after 11 women made claims against Harvey in a long-form Columbia Journalism Review article, published on 21 December 2020.
One of the women to go public with her experience of sexual harassment at the hands of Harvey was Alicia Vera, a respected photographer for publications including Time and The New York Times who, in 2009, when she was 23 years old and beginning a career in photojournalism, was invited to assist and be mentored by Harvey. During a Skype call set up to ostensibly talk about her work, Vera recalled Harvey “at some point stood up, turned off the light, and it became clear to me that he was masturbating,” she told the Columbia Journalism Review.
“Harvey's statements about us lying is extremely hurtful and traumatising but I'm also not surprised by his statement,” Vera told The Art Newspaper when asked for her reaction to the news of Harvey’s resignation and his threat to bring legal action against the women who came forward.
“White men in power have gotten away with bad behaviour since the beginning of time,” Vera says. “I know in my heart that what we have said is the truth and something that I personally have carried for ten years. It has done more damage than he or Magnum could ever imagine.”
The article details how Harvey’s behaviour was reported to staff at Magnum as early as 2009, but the agency did not take action for more than a decade.
Snip
There is no evidence that Harvey has brought any legal proceedings against any of the women in the article, or against Magnum. Harvey was contacted for comment.
Snip
In response to a request for further comment, a spokesperson for Magnum said: “As this is a real event that impacts upon people’s lives and a confidential investigation process, we can’t comment further on details. Magnum is grateful to those people who cooperated with the investigation and recognises the victims and survivors.”
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/new...ency-s-history-after-sexual-abuse-allegations
PKR
Veteran
It looks like, as per the piece below that, this is just the beginning of this campaign.
Magnum Photographers are the current targets as, they're high profile. This thing will likely spread given the recent CJR's success with Magnum.
The article is long. I'll post some "snips" as Other Magnum Photographers are now being called out.
This article is a week old. It's possible, I think, the author had knowledge of the Magnum BOD's decision on Harvey (or a weather report) before the piece was published.
Olivia Arthur - now can we talk about Magnum Photos and child abuse? — duckrabbit
Warning: This post contains distressing details of images centered on child sexual abuse, as well as sexual violence against women. Images that are potentially indecent were reported to the relevant authorities in 2020. Images have been altered by me to protect the identity of any children featured in them. The post that follows is addressed to Olivia Arthur. As President of Magnum Photos (since 2020) she is responsible for enforcing the agency’s code of conduct.
To put the post in context:
In 2017 Magnum photos ran a photo competition marketed on Facebook with a Souvid Datta photo of an Indian child allegedly being raped. The fall out was intense when the industry woke up to find that outside of photojournalism only sex offenders think men with cameras setting up photos of children being raped is anything to celebrate.
Two men decided to take action. Robert Godden (Rights Exposure, formerly Amnesty) and Jason Tanner (Human Rights For Journalism) started a campaign to introduce some very basic child protection standards in the industry.
Snip
That’s the spin.
Here’s the truth.
…
Hello Olivia,
It’s over five months since I first raised the fact that Magnum Photos was seeking to profit from outing children as survivors of sexual abuse. I did that because I’d sat in a room at Interpol’s head office in Lyon interviewing one of the world’s leading experts in online child abuse.
He told me that what worried him most is the normalization of child abuse. I came home, opened your archive and there it was.
The normalization of child abuse.
Anything goes. For-profit. Just package it as ‘photojournalism’. And sell.
I took screengrabs. Sat at my computer. Tweeted.
(tweet August 3rd 2020)
Structural racism. @MagnumPhotos archive has a huge number of identifiable children forced into sexual abuse. Some with hands up trying to hide their identity. All in the developing world. No US. No UK pics.
In the Uk if you did this you would be arrested. pic.twitter.com/jUlfs6t25b
— duck (@duckrabbitblog) August 3, 2020
The journalist Andy Day saw my tweet and started to investigate your agency the next day. He pulled up the Magnum photographer David Alan Harvey’s Thai ‘child prostitute’ photos and started to write:
‘The archive of Magnum Photos features numerous photographs of child sex workers, many of whom were photographed without their knowledge. Several of these photographs are sexually explicit, featuring nudity and encounters with clients. These images may constitute acts of child sexual abuse.’ Andy Day/ Fstoppers
Snip
Child abuse’
I want to talk about that because as you know it goes a lot further than David Alan Harvey, the only photographer Magnum has made any public comment about. In this post, I write about Chris Steele Perkins, Antoine d’Agata, Martin Parr, Cristina de Middel, Stuart Franklin, Larry Towell, Paolo Pellegrin and Patrick Zachmann. But Harvey first.
Snip
1: David Alan Harvey
Shortly after I first wrote to you last year the Guardian reported that Harvey was suspended for allegedly harassing a colleague. According to the article, Magnum would not be representing him during his suspension. Except Magnum continued to defend Harvey against the earlier allegation that he shot numerous naked or semi-naked Thai children, in hotel rooms, for sale on a Magnum gallery title ‘Bangkok Prostitutes’.
Snip
2: Chris Steele-Perkins
In your statement, you wrote, ‘we have begun a process of in-depth internal review – with outside guidance – to make sure that we fully understand the implications of the work in the archive, both in terms of imagery and context‘.
Well let’s set the context to a Chris Steele-Perkins photo that Martin Parr and Cristina de Middel included in the La Fabrica published book ‘Players: Magnum Photogs Come Out To Play‘.
At eleven I was offered a place at the (fee paying) independent school Trent College under Thatcher’s Assisted Place Scheme.
One of the first lessons we learned was the junior maths teacher’s nickname: Paedo.
Snip
3: Antoine d’Agata
Magnum photographer Antoine d’Agata is celebrated for his dehumanization of women. The more dehumanized the better. Apparently, it sells. Workshops. Prints. Books.
I found the following photos after searching the word ‘rape’ on the Magnum archive.
What is this? Male rape fantasies for the art buyer that can afford more than pornhub? What is it that the men in Magnum who voted d’Agata into the agency like about photos that dehumanize women and are tagged rape?
Antione d’Agata photos all tagged ‘rape’ ‘le viol’ on the Magnum archive. pic.twitter.com/vHaBc7wnW0
— MakeMagnumPhotosSafeForKidsAgain (@MagnumMake) January 24, 2021
‘There is a strong undercurrent in Magnum culture that worships the male photographer who is into sex/drugs/sex-workers/bragging about conquests’. Dr. Alice Driver
In a 2012 filmed interview d’Agata says:
‘there is something in Cambodia that is very, very far from any morality. Let’s say it is in those extremes I’d like to continue my work. To see if there are still limits for me’.
Sleeping with sex workers is not far from morality. It’s the norm for more than a few foreigners who head to Cambodia. And drugged up artists are a ten a penny cliche.
Snip
4. Stuart Franklin
In 2016 Magnum Photos ran a photo competition with the website Lensculture. The jury was made up of Martin Parr, David Alan Harvey, Newsha Tavakolian and David Kogan from Magnum, plus Stacey Baker (New York Times), Amy Pereira (then MSNBC) and Jim Casper (Editor Lensculture).
For the winner of the Photojournalism prize, they picked Sandra Hoyn’s series The Longing of the Others which focused on the lives of sex workers in Bangladesh. One of the photos shows a man lying on top of a child who looks visibly distressed. The man’s identity is conveniently hidden.
According to Hoyn the girl is fifteen. She described the scene of the photo in an interview with Cosmopolitan magazine:
Sometimes I felt very bad to be taking pictures. But I always had to remind myself that I am a photojournalist … Taking portraits of Pakhi, a 15-year-old girl, together with a customer she didn’t like at all was a bad experience. She is like a friend to me. It felt like I was abusing her when I took those pictures. But I forced myself to do it, it wouldn’t be real if I didn’t show it. Her customer came in a group of five men who all wanted to have sex with her one after another. This was horrible.
In Bangladeshi law a child cannot consent to paid sex with an adult. Hoyn is describing a gang rape. And furthermore arranging to be in the room she is party to that rape.
An Interpol investigator told me that ‘journalism’ is no defense, ‘the moment you take a photo of a child being raped you have committed a crime’.
In the UK it a crime to identify any child who is a survivor of sexual assault.
Snip
5: Larry Towell and Paolo Pellegrin
In a former life I set up and helped run a health project for young people in Ethiopia, focused on sexual and reproductive health. Young women and men would tell their stories on the radio of love and loss. Some of the most painful imaginable. Early marriage, FGM, HIV, not being able to be with the boy or girl you love. Dreams spoken and dreams crushed.
On average we’d get a 100 letters a day from young people with questions for Hanna, our agony aunt. We told the stories of many HIV positive children. But one thing we never did, for their own safety, was identify them, even if they’d wanted us to. The consequences can be fatal.
How many fully identifiable children has Magnum Photos outed as HIV positive on your website and others? Too many for me to count.
Young children who cannot consent, packaged by Magnum as victims and sold like you are doing the world some kind of heroic favor. Some kids so young that they probably neither knew nor could have understood their status. Objects.
In my very first tweet about your archive last year I included a Larry Towell photo taken in a Lima slum in 2006 (the same year I was working in Ethiopia).
The photo shows a young and extremely vulnerable child sat in the corner of a room and was keyworded ‘prostitution’ and ‘HIV’ on the Magnum archive. On other sites it was keyworded ‘caucasian beauty’ ‘sick’ ‘premium product’.
The caption outs the child as HIV postive.
Even after your statement, you continued to sell this image across at least three different sites until my November 11 tweet when I shamed you into taking it down.
A whole lot more
https://www.duckrabbit.info/blog/20...-we-talk-about-magnum-photos-and-child-abuse/
Magnum Photographers are the current targets as, they're high profile. This thing will likely spread given the recent CJR's success with Magnum.
The article is long. I'll post some "snips" as Other Magnum Photographers are now being called out.
This article is a week old. It's possible, I think, the author had knowledge of the Magnum BOD's decision on Harvey (or a weather report) before the piece was published.
Olivia Arthur - now can we talk about Magnum Photos and child abuse? — duckrabbit
Warning: This post contains distressing details of images centered on child sexual abuse, as well as sexual violence against women. Images that are potentially indecent were reported to the relevant authorities in 2020. Images have been altered by me to protect the identity of any children featured in them. The post that follows is addressed to Olivia Arthur. As President of Magnum Photos (since 2020) she is responsible for enforcing the agency’s code of conduct.
To put the post in context:
In 2017 Magnum photos ran a photo competition marketed on Facebook with a Souvid Datta photo of an Indian child allegedly being raped. The fall out was intense when the industry woke up to find that outside of photojournalism only sex offenders think men with cameras setting up photos of children being raped is anything to celebrate.
Two men decided to take action. Robert Godden (Rights Exposure, formerly Amnesty) and Jason Tanner (Human Rights For Journalism) started a campaign to introduce some very basic child protection standards in the industry.
Snip
That’s the spin.
Here’s the truth.
…
Hello Olivia,
It’s over five months since I first raised the fact that Magnum Photos was seeking to profit from outing children as survivors of sexual abuse. I did that because I’d sat in a room at Interpol’s head office in Lyon interviewing one of the world’s leading experts in online child abuse.
He told me that what worried him most is the normalization of child abuse. I came home, opened your archive and there it was.
The normalization of child abuse.
Anything goes. For-profit. Just package it as ‘photojournalism’. And sell.
I took screengrabs. Sat at my computer. Tweeted.
(tweet August 3rd 2020)
Structural racism. @MagnumPhotos archive has a huge number of identifiable children forced into sexual abuse. Some with hands up trying to hide their identity. All in the developing world. No US. No UK pics.
In the Uk if you did this you would be arrested. pic.twitter.com/jUlfs6t25b
— duck (@duckrabbitblog) August 3, 2020
The journalist Andy Day saw my tweet and started to investigate your agency the next day. He pulled up the Magnum photographer David Alan Harvey’s Thai ‘child prostitute’ photos and started to write:
‘The archive of Magnum Photos features numerous photographs of child sex workers, many of whom were photographed without their knowledge. Several of these photographs are sexually explicit, featuring nudity and encounters with clients. These images may constitute acts of child sexual abuse.’ Andy Day/ Fstoppers
Snip
Child abuse’
I want to talk about that because as you know it goes a lot further than David Alan Harvey, the only photographer Magnum has made any public comment about. In this post, I write about Chris Steele Perkins, Antoine d’Agata, Martin Parr, Cristina de Middel, Stuart Franklin, Larry Towell, Paolo Pellegrin and Patrick Zachmann. But Harvey first.
Snip
1: David Alan Harvey
Shortly after I first wrote to you last year the Guardian reported that Harvey was suspended for allegedly harassing a colleague. According to the article, Magnum would not be representing him during his suspension. Except Magnum continued to defend Harvey against the earlier allegation that he shot numerous naked or semi-naked Thai children, in hotel rooms, for sale on a Magnum gallery title ‘Bangkok Prostitutes’.
Snip
2: Chris Steele-Perkins
In your statement, you wrote, ‘we have begun a process of in-depth internal review – with outside guidance – to make sure that we fully understand the implications of the work in the archive, both in terms of imagery and context‘.
Well let’s set the context to a Chris Steele-Perkins photo that Martin Parr and Cristina de Middel included in the La Fabrica published book ‘Players: Magnum Photogs Come Out To Play‘.
At eleven I was offered a place at the (fee paying) independent school Trent College under Thatcher’s Assisted Place Scheme.
One of the first lessons we learned was the junior maths teacher’s nickname: Paedo.
Snip
3: Antoine d’Agata
Magnum photographer Antoine d’Agata is celebrated for his dehumanization of women. The more dehumanized the better. Apparently, it sells. Workshops. Prints. Books.
I found the following photos after searching the word ‘rape’ on the Magnum archive.
What is this? Male rape fantasies for the art buyer that can afford more than pornhub? What is it that the men in Magnum who voted d’Agata into the agency like about photos that dehumanize women and are tagged rape?
Antione d’Agata photos all tagged ‘rape’ ‘le viol’ on the Magnum archive. pic.twitter.com/vHaBc7wnW0
— MakeMagnumPhotosSafeForKidsAgain (@MagnumMake) January 24, 2021
‘There is a strong undercurrent in Magnum culture that worships the male photographer who is into sex/drugs/sex-workers/bragging about conquests’. Dr. Alice Driver
In a 2012 filmed interview d’Agata says:
‘there is something in Cambodia that is very, very far from any morality. Let’s say it is in those extremes I’d like to continue my work. To see if there are still limits for me’.
Sleeping with sex workers is not far from morality. It’s the norm for more than a few foreigners who head to Cambodia. And drugged up artists are a ten a penny cliche.
Snip
4. Stuart Franklin
In 2016 Magnum Photos ran a photo competition with the website Lensculture. The jury was made up of Martin Parr, David Alan Harvey, Newsha Tavakolian and David Kogan from Magnum, plus Stacey Baker (New York Times), Amy Pereira (then MSNBC) and Jim Casper (Editor Lensculture).
For the winner of the Photojournalism prize, they picked Sandra Hoyn’s series The Longing of the Others which focused on the lives of sex workers in Bangladesh. One of the photos shows a man lying on top of a child who looks visibly distressed. The man’s identity is conveniently hidden.
According to Hoyn the girl is fifteen. She described the scene of the photo in an interview with Cosmopolitan magazine:
Sometimes I felt very bad to be taking pictures. But I always had to remind myself that I am a photojournalist … Taking portraits of Pakhi, a 15-year-old girl, together with a customer she didn’t like at all was a bad experience. She is like a friend to me. It felt like I was abusing her when I took those pictures. But I forced myself to do it, it wouldn’t be real if I didn’t show it. Her customer came in a group of five men who all wanted to have sex with her one after another. This was horrible.
In Bangladeshi law a child cannot consent to paid sex with an adult. Hoyn is describing a gang rape. And furthermore arranging to be in the room she is party to that rape.
An Interpol investigator told me that ‘journalism’ is no defense, ‘the moment you take a photo of a child being raped you have committed a crime’.
In the UK it a crime to identify any child who is a survivor of sexual assault.
Snip
5: Larry Towell and Paolo Pellegrin
In a former life I set up and helped run a health project for young people in Ethiopia, focused on sexual and reproductive health. Young women and men would tell their stories on the radio of love and loss. Some of the most painful imaginable. Early marriage, FGM, HIV, not being able to be with the boy or girl you love. Dreams spoken and dreams crushed.
On average we’d get a 100 letters a day from young people with questions for Hanna, our agony aunt. We told the stories of many HIV positive children. But one thing we never did, for their own safety, was identify them, even if they’d wanted us to. The consequences can be fatal.
How many fully identifiable children has Magnum Photos outed as HIV positive on your website and others? Too many for me to count.
Young children who cannot consent, packaged by Magnum as victims and sold like you are doing the world some kind of heroic favor. Some kids so young that they probably neither knew nor could have understood their status. Objects.
In my very first tweet about your archive last year I included a Larry Towell photo taken in a Lima slum in 2006 (the same year I was working in Ethiopia).
The photo shows a young and extremely vulnerable child sat in the corner of a room and was keyworded ‘prostitution’ and ‘HIV’ on the Magnum archive. On other sites it was keyworded ‘caucasian beauty’ ‘sick’ ‘premium product’.
The caption outs the child as HIV postive.
Even after your statement, you continued to sell this image across at least three different sites until my November 11 tweet when I shamed you into taking it down.
A whole lot more
https://www.duckrabbit.info/blog/20...-we-talk-about-magnum-photos-and-child-abuse/
Thank you for the info PKR.
PKR
Veteran
Hi John,
I'm glad to be out of the photo biz. With the current political environment, this thing will surly roll down hill, effecting many others.
Sally Mann comes immediately to mind. How about, all those parents who took innocent photos of their children playing tn a bath tub ?
I'm concerned for folks like KM-25.
Harvey is definitely a turd but, others who are completely innocent will suffer from his actions. History shows this to be a constant.
Pablito
coco frío
He is a mediocre, gimmicky photographer and a despicable human being. He took advantage of one of my students at his home in South Carolina.
PKR
Veteran
It's likely been his practice for a number of years but, now it's surfaced.
I'm sorry to hear about your student.
The founders of Magnum are surely spinning in their graves.