If you're like me and detached yourself from just about everything this past Labor Day weekend, you might have missed the controversial publication of a photo of Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard, 21, of New Portland, Maine, right after being mortally wounded by a rocket propelled grenade in Afghanistan. The photo shows Cpl. Bernard bloody and wounded, with his legs apparently missing, as fellow Marines try to help him. The Associated Press released the photo over the objections of Bernard's family, and even Defense Secretary Robert Gates was moved to try to prevent distribution of the photo.
The fantastic New York Times photo blog, Lens, published a report last Friday about the controversy, but if you prefer the Queen's spelling of "defence," you can also read about it at the Daily Mail.
The photo of Cpl. Bernard didn't run in the Herald, and if a local serviceman or woman's ultimate sacrifice was documented and available on the wire, it's unlikely we would run the photo. Instances like this are obviously case by case, but it's likely the photo of a dying man would not have run at all, says Executive Editor Ken Robertson.
Longtime readers might remember the fatal shooting of Washington State Patrol Trooper James Saunders during a traffic stop in October 1999. The Herald ran this photo from the scene:
His body is covered as authorities investigate the scene and the darkness is punctuated with bright vehicle lights, making many of the scene's details vague, except for the trooper's boots, which Photo Editor Bob Brawdy, who took the photo, thinks was what haunted readers most. This photo's front-page placement touched off a firestorm of controversy, with angry phone calls and letters from readers and meetings between law enforcement and the editors.
The death of a police officer strikes a nerve in most communities, and Bob says he thinks the Tri-Cities lost some innocence with Trooper Saunders' death. Perhaps it’s the average soldier's youth, or maybe because he or she is serving so far from home, but a soldier's death seems to have even more gravity associated with it.
Back in 2004, well before the Department of Defense lifted its ban on photos of flag-draped coffins, Tami Silicio lost her job with an Army contractor after she captured and distributed images of U.S. soldiers returning home in caskets. The mere existence of the 1991 ban shows how emotionally charged the issue is, even when images are devoid of gore, in a spotless, ceremonial setting that shows only a flag-draped coffin.
Controversies like these have swirled and touched down throughout the history of mass media in this country and there's no sign of any significant resolution or consensus on the topic. But they're debates worth having, and in a time when the latest news of American soldiers killed in action is briefed and buried deep beneath the front page, controversies like these bring their toil and sacrifice back into the national dialogue.
But what do you think?
Update: Sept. 23 - NY Times Lens Blog, "From the Archive: Not New, Never Easy"
~~~~~
kyau@tricityherald.com
(509) 585-7205
Click here to subscribe to the RSS Feed.
Click here to become a fan of Behind the Fold on Facebook
Similar stories:
The Mourning After
The Mourning After
There's no doubt this job doesn't always feel like one. Hot air balloon rides, crazy court scenes and the rodeo are fun assignments that highlight some of the joys of making photos for a living.
On the flip side, there's no shortage of tragedy to cover , and photographing funerals is seldom easy.
My first funeral assignment was a good entry point, though, when I covered a memorial for Superior Court Judge Robert S. Day on July 10, 2009 . I can't remember all the details of that shoot now, but it was a pretty light affair. His former colleagues had plenty of fond and humorous memories to share:
Lighting the Way
Lighting the Way
There's no shortage of difficult situations to cover in this job. While there are some in the news biz who get a rise out of covering tragic situations because of the possible contest implications, but most of us are happy to avoid the sadness whenever possible. And though critics often clamor for more positive stories, dodging negative news would be a huge disservice to our readers.
The unbelievable rash of student deaths at Richland High School meant I had back-to-back candlelight vigils last weekend. While they are nowhere near as tough to cover as funerals , vigils include some technical difficulties with the delicate somberness.
Friday's gathering was in honor of Sierra Murray, the 16-year-old who died on Oct. 28 after getting hit by a car. They had a nice portrait of her set up, so I shot a basic scene-setter as a car passed by,
Stat Infection
Stat Infection
Falling circulation and advertising sales have shrunk the news hole. While a smaller staff sometimes means we're scrambling for daily content, more frequently, space is at a premium in our print edition.
The photo galleries have gone a long ways in reducing the frustration of having your favorite shot squeezed out of the paper and the juicy page view numbers they generate have probably added some marginal stabilization to the Jenga-like structure that keeps me employed.
It's been easy to get carried away in the virtually unlimited space, and I've been trying to rein in the bloated galleries I've too often posted. Some stories lend themselves to photo overload, however, and this year I've been experimenting with a new way to handle the problem.
Cliché Bells Ring
Cliché Bells Ring
Once the turkey-wine-and-starch hangover wears off, holiday season dread starts settling in for me. I'm no soldier in the supposed war on Christmas, but there's plenty for me to loathe in the most wonderful time of the year. Chief is how boring I find the majority of holiday-themed assignments.
The annual cycle of community photojournalism does repeat in numerous areas of coverage, but standard go-to Christmas features make me cringe more than any other. There's a lot to like about the feel-good stories that populate holiday pages, but I'm lamenting the easy cheesy space-fillers.
The top offender is our annual rundown of local Christmas light displays. It'll be in our Sunday Extra section on Sunday, Dec. 18., and I know some readers can't wait to get recommendations on what houses to check out. I like Christmas lights just fine, but photographing them is as mind-numbing as it is finger-and-toe-numbing.
'Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1' Blu-ray: Haters gonna hate
'Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1' Blu-ray: Haters gonna hate
On a commentary track included on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" Blu-ray (Summit Entertainment, $34; also on DVD, $30; in stores Saturday), director Bill Condon addresses the disproportionate hatred the series seems to inspire in critics. "This series is about things women care about and has a woman at the center," he says. "So there are people who just stay outside of it and mock it."
Print
Email Story
