C: The sensational front page photo of the grieving sister of the drowned boy was in poor taste. What possible reason could you possibly have to display such a picture other than pure meanness. How about showing some class and sensitivity for a change? This rag of yours is truly in a downward spiral. What is next, pictures of open coffins? -M.L.
A: This rag has been sending out photographers to cover news events - many of them gruesome and tragic - since we first put photographers on staff in the early 1940s. In this case, we did not send our photojournalist out to this news event so that he could get a little exercise; we sent him there to report what was happening.
A boy drowned in the river. It so happened that family members were on the scene, and as a result, their terror and grief and emotion were critical to what was happening.
Certainly, we could have simply thrown our staffer's photo away and reported the drowning without it. We could have treated this boy's death as if it were just another anonymous statistic. But of course, we would have been doing a disservice to our readers. Our job is to tell the story, to report the news as we see it. Sometimes, as in this case, it's a terrible thing to have to do.
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2 comments:
Seriously. What this rag needs is more pictures of kittens and puppies. You know, nice things that make people happy. I'm tired of this cold reality you are creating with your sinister reporters and photographers whose agenda is to make everyone look the fool. I also don't appreciate you spoon-feeding your liberalconservativeantiprogovernemt views to me and my family.
Also, the steak I ordered at Texas Roadhouse last night was over cooked. Don't think I don't know the O-R was behind it. Your anti-rare steak agenda is more evident than you think.
I do, however, like to know which my neighbors and acquiantances have been arrested or die. Please leave the police beat and obits as-is.
-A concerned citizen loudly judging you because I don't have anything better to do with my time.
Life is ugly, and part of the problem with Americans in general is that we have been insulated far too long from reality. We see no pictures of coffins returning from Iraq, so the war must be going fine. When people die tragically, others grieve, and it's fine to let everyone know it. At least the 0-R didn't send a camera crew out the the boy's house and ask his mother, "How does it feel to have a son who drowned?" It takes a TV station to do that.
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