I have lived in NY for 12 years. In my opinion NYPD is one of the worst I have seen in any developed country I have visited. They act and work like one big mafia thugs. If you are blacklisted by the NYPD, esp if you publicly badmouth them, you can count on them making your life a living hell.

Of course I am not saying everyone in NYPD is like that, and I have seen and known my own share of great individuals who works for NYPD. But generally speaking they are pretty bad, they have this attitude that they are above law and more often than not they get away with doing almost anything.

He wants to keep his job at the NYTimes. If he is known as an biased photographer who 'agitates' police, he won't be sent on certain assignments.

Yes, one should always keep their impartiality towards human rights. It's important that journalists refrain from writing pieces which advocate human rights.

Photojournalists follow a slightly different standard of operations than reporters. They are supposed to let images speak for themselves and work as an impartial observer. This is the attitude that allows them to be embedded in dangerous war zones where hopefully they wont be shot or kidnapped...

Here are some quotes from James Nachtwey:

"I want my work to become part of our visual history, to enter our collective memory and our collective conscience. I hope it will serve to remind us that history's deepest tragedies concern not the great protagonists who set events in motion but the countless ordinary people who are caught up in those events and torn apart by their remorseless fury. I have been a witness, and these pictures are my testimony. The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated."

"I used to call myself a war photographer. Now I consider myself as an antiwar photographer."

"There is a job to be done...to record the truth. I want to wake people up!"

Doesn't sound impartial to me.. and Nachtwey is no noob, to put it mildly. Embedded or not, anyone calling themselves photojournalist ought to learn from him and others.

People who can remain impartial in the face of suffering or abuse of power aren't being professional, they're being sociopaths. It takes a strong, big heart to not be impartial and still do the job, sure. It's not for everybody. So what. Lead, follow or get out of the way :P