Moral responsibility refers to whether someone deserves praise, blame, reward or punishment for their actions or lack of actions according to their moral obligations. There are three elements of moral responsibility: causality, knowledge, and freedom. Documentary filmmakers have a responsibility to tell the truth and get an accurate portrayal of their subject. They also have a duty to consider the ethical implications of their work, especially when spending extensive time with subjects and depicting sensitive topics like suicide. Producers should develop ethical guidelines and provide support to vulnerable viewers based on their commitment to prevent harm, rather than just reacting to controversy.

1. MORAL
RESPONSIBILITY
In philosophy, moral responsibility is the status of morally deserving praise, blame,
reward, or punishment for an act or omission performed or neglected in
accordance with one's moral obligations. Deciding what (if anything) counts as
"morally obligatory" is a principal concern of ethics.

2. Three elements of moral responsibility
1. Causality - (the relation between cause and effect)
2. Knowledge - (the facts, information and the skills acquired by the person
through education or experience)
3. Freedom - (freedom of speech and act without any restraints)

3. THE ETHICS OF
DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING

4. Filmmaker, Gordon Quinn
◦ present a masterclass on ethics in documentary filmmaking. Before the panel, Indiewire
spoke with Quinn as well as other documentary filmmakers to get their take on ethical
approaches and morally ambiguous boundaries.
◦ Documentary filmmakers, Quinn said, need to have a sense of the ethical questions or
concerns that will affect their work. It’s on a different scale than journalism, simply
because doc filmmakers spend so much time with subjects, sometimes years, that they
become deeply involved in the intimate aspects of their lives.
◦ “We as documentary filmmakers, I feel, have a responsibility towards ethics,” said
Quinn. “You owe your audience to tell the truth, to get to the bottom of the story, to be
accurate in what you’re presenting.”

5. Example: 13 Reasons Why on Netflix
◦ The controversy surrounding 13 Reasons Why taps on the responsibility of Netflix in using
graphic content that represents the suicide of the main character, Hannah.
◦ The show is an adaptation of a novel by Jay Asher, but in the original storyline, Hannah
attempts suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills and eventually survives her attempt.
◦ In contrast, in the last episode of the first season of the TV show, Hannah is seen cutting her
wrists with a razor blade in the bathtub and gradually suffering until she dies.
◦ It might be argued that the producers have created this controversial scene to provoke
strong reactions from their viewers and to spark discussion. However, the episode of
Hannah’s death includes a step-by-step depiction of her suicide, which could be viewed as
guidance on how to end one’s life, instead of how to get help when feeling suicidal.
◦ Before launching the third season, Netflix decided to cut some of these controversial scenes
in season one following strong critique by mental health experts and educators.

6. ◦ Producers have a moral responsibility to develop and follow
guidelines for ethical conduct, especially when it comes to
sensitive topics and controversial content. Initiatives aimed at
educating the audience are laudable when they raise awareness
and help prevent young people’s experience of harm. Still,
producers should take initiative to provide support to vulnerable
viewers based on their ethical commitment toward these
audience members, rather than acting retrospectively in response
to moral panic around suicide contagion.