While we've weighed in via Twitter on some unfortunate typos as well as Twitter serving as a breaking news conduit -- once more, we haven't discussed the recent news storm around the death of Osama Bin Laden on this blog.
To be honest, it's such a polarizing topic, we've hesitated to call out the ham-fisted pitching we've seen tied to it. We'd be justified in doing so. If you thought some of the pitches tied to the Royal wedding were bad, you've not seen bad. But we've done this in the past.
Good, Bad, Indifferent?
The pic above is a screen grab from Yahoo.com. If you think it's a coincidence that women and children are shown in a picture referencing Osama Bin Laden's neighbors, I have a sweet deal on a bridge you simply must call me about.
I'm posting it less to make any kind of statement about what went down. It's not important how I feel about this event.
But this does underscore the importance of visuals in detailing any story. It's more than eye candy or to break up a block of gray text. This one might seem subtle. And I might be reading into it too much. But it's important. This underscores and reinforces messaging The White House is clearly scrambling for right now.
Newsrooms don't have it any easier. They're already grappling with decisions on whether or not they'll ultimately publish photos of Osama Bin Laden after his death. There are some smart folks at Poynter Institute that will tell you that it makes sense to do this from a journalistic perspective. I'll simply note that there's no single, easy, right answer that will address these questions...if only because it's been almost 10 years since 9/11.
What do you think about the topic of visuals helping to reinforce messaging? You're welcome to comment about the nature of this example. But please note if this discussion gets off the rails and political for the sake of getting political? I'm closing comments.
>>Kevin Dugan, @prblog
Photos are extremely effective in reinforcing messaging. I've suggested that the images of self-immolation that took place in Tunisia likely had more to do with the uprising there than did Twitter.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the speed at which social media moves, and the lack of an editorial function means that the power of pictures must be managed with a certain degree of skepticism. It's just too darn easy to photoshop an image, tweet it, and have it part of the discussion without the question being asked: is this real?
Caution in all things, I suppose.
Best,
Jen
Analysis of the photo from the situation room speaks to your question:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wwd.com/media-news?module=tn#/article/media-news/peak-time-3601104?navSection=media-news
I think that photos can be important, but photos of a gruesome death? Not so much. I love the picture of the newsroom where Hilary Clinton, Obama and others watch it all go down. To me, that speaks volumes more than any photo of a dead body.
ReplyDeleteI think as the media, their responsibility is to present the facts. It's up to readers to decipher and translate those facts into thought. While I don't have a particular interest in the "death photos" - I think the media should, and probably will, run them if (when) they leak out.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do agree with Obama that the photos could incite even more anger. A truly tough position for all involved, if only because of the volatile nature of the situation.
I don't know if it should be published in any huge national newspaper or magazine, but I think it should be available for those who would be interested in seeing it. Ever since I heard the news, call me morbid, but I have had an itch to see a picture... I don't think it would be any worse than the portrayals of death we see in movies.
ReplyDeleteprince-of-pr.com
Another of the telling moments in internet/in-the-moment history was with the toppling of the Saddam Hussein statue in 2004. The media made it into a HUGE event, but if you look at the far shots, there really weren't that many people around. http://tinyurl.com/3bcyrjh. History is written by the winners and, particularly in our age, it's written by the speediest.
ReplyDeleteI agree that imagery and photography adds strength in journalism. Aside from being extremely influential, I think images placed by a journalist paint a picture of the tone and actual point he or she is attempting to underline. That being said, I believe posting a posthumous image of a lifeless Osama Bin Laden would have been tasteless. Only because I feel that that would reinforce and evoke stronger negative feelings to a man who has already been killed.
ReplyDeleteImage choice sometimes says more about the issues addressed in the article, and other times reflects more about the journalist/journal and audience.