An Argument Defending Publishing Graphic Photographs

While reading all the updates on the Boston Marathon Bombing, I ran across a story that truly resonated with me. This article by Jason Farago on the New Republic website articulates the best argument I have heard explaining why graphic photos need to be published. Farago centered the article around this pervasive photo of a severely injured bystander that lost both of his legs as a result of the bombings:

The photo, which was taken by Associated Press photographer  Charles Krupa, shows  Jeff Bauman being rushed to a waiting ambulance after being injured by the bombs. This photo made Bauman’s father, also Jeff Bauman, aware that his son had been badly injured, after Bauman tried to contact his son unsuccessfully. It is only one example of how photos can positively impact the world. The man in the cowboy hat,  Carlos Arredondo, was at the race handing out flags as a memorial for his son, who died in Iraq in 2004. Because of this photo, he can be recognized for his heroic act of picking Bauman up off the street and getting him help.

In the article, Farago explains the ethical decision making behind the publishing of graphic images such as this one. He articulates the point of view of photojournalists the world over, and I really appreciate it. His argument is what pops into my head every time I hear someone say that a photo shouldn’t have been published. It clearly and intelligently narrates what a photojournalist thinks when they press that shutter button.   The article itself is a very compelling and passionate piece of work, and I highly recommend you click through and read the author’s work.

Stereotyping in Media and the World

Stereotyping is something that affects many people on a day to day basis. It is everywhere. In the media, in school, in the workplace, etc. The reason I am so in-tune with this topic of stereotyping is because in my grade school days I was stereotyped by people thinking I was a Satanic person. Stereotyping is uncalled for in every way, shape and form. Do not assume. Ask first.

Man awakens from a coma on Thanksgiving – ABC News

Man awakens from a coma on Thanksgiving – ABC News

Black Friday sales and brawls are cluttering the news right now, so it was nice to find a Thanksgiving story that reminds us of the holiday’s true meaning. 

Benjamin Pessah, 21, was shot in the head leaving a Halloween party a month ago in California. Unfortunately, it couldn’t be fetched for me to post, but I’m sharing the link.

New York Times Multimedia Section shows change in journalism

The New York Times website has a dedicated interactive/multimedia section. This shows how integral and important multimedia is today, even on newspaper websites. Readers can seek out multimedia stories that they  are interested in instead of looking through traditional print. I thought that was a great example of how multimedia is becoming more and more popular.

Journalism Quotes

“News is something someone wants suppressed. Everything else is just advertising.”

 Lord Northcliff

“A news story should be like a mini skirt on a pretty woman. Long enough to cover the subject but short enough to be interesting.”

Anonymous

“Journalism can never be silent: that is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault. It must speak, and speak immediately, while the echoes of wonder, the claims of triumph and the signs of horror are still in the air.”

Henry Anatole Grunwald

“Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.”

Thomas Jefferson

“The difference between literature and journalism is that journalism is unreadable and literature is not read.”

Oscar Wilde

Multimedia Assignment Video Editing

This is my video for Balloon Fest 2012. It was edited for our MCJ 30o course for an assignment.

Enjoy!