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Disasters often produce incredibly compelling photojournalism. Iconic images are already emerging from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and those responsible for gathering, editing and publishing these often heart-wrenching photos have a great deal of ethical decisions to make.
Discussions are taking place in newsrooms around the world about how and why these images should be presented to you. Get a behind-the-scenes look at fundamental principles we grapple with on a daily basis as picture editors by reading the Poynter Institute's column HERE.
Images like the one above are unquestionably difficult to look at, but they drive home the impact of our actions, and draw us into issues that deserve our attention. We chose to prominently display this image on Friday, moments after we received it. On Saturday, it was the lead image in the print edition of the New York Times.
What's your assessment? Who is providing the best visual coverage of the disaster and what separates them from the rest of the pack? What could we do better?
While you're at it, take a few minutes and see what we feel are the most compelling images in our slideshow, which can be seen HERE.
Leave a Comment:
what a shameful waste!! This picture is really hard to look at.
I say to clean these animals up, before everything becomes extinct. BP made the mess, let them clean it up! Other wise, what are we teaching our children, that it is ok to make these gigantic mistakes, or do what they want to, causing the life of anything or anyone, it's not Mother Nature to have these animals covered with oil! It is man's own mistake that they made, so I say clean it up. Every school is teaching the kids to recycle, so why not teach them to save the life of a helpless animal , whose lives are in their hands? It's about time they teach about helping something that breathes the same air that we do! Their lives are in our hands, and I speak for every living thing on this earth!!!!
We need to put BP's executives in the oil. Our wildlife doesn't have a chance. BP has changed our lives forever! Clean these animals!!!!! They are part of our future!!!!!!!
It makes my heart to see these images. I say put the BP execs to work cleaning up these birds and the beaches. No, They are too slimy to touch them. Put them on trial and execute them instead, or tie them up, put toothpicks in their eyelids and force them to look at images of what their greed has cost, or, drop them in the Gulf of Mexico, or waterboard them.
heart hurt
Do an "On the Road with Charles Kuralt" type of journalistic tour, replete with great writers and photographers. Immerse the crew in the areas where the spill has effect and make it a web magazine special, sort of like The Elkhart Project, but mobile.
Suggested guest writer: Pico Iyer
Suggested guest phrog: Art Wolfe
Ribbit.
Thanks SBPhrog! CBS News Sunday Morning was a staple in my house growing up. And yes - as far as landscapes.... Art Wolfe definitely gets it.
Jonathon, Art Wolfe is also a premier Wildlife photographer, check his website:
http://www.artwolfe.com/index.php#mi=1&pt=0&pi=64&s=0&p=0&a=0&at=0
On the Road is forever in my bookshelf. Ribbit.
If that pelican could talk, he would probably say, "It's a small price to pay for driving a Hummer! I say drill more oil wells. Drill more!"
Show it. It's real. It's the truth. You're a journalist.
Humans suck.
Clean the ones that have a chance at survival, but put the others to rest. Like any crisis scene, you have to be able to stomach making the decision of who'd have a shot and who would be futile to even try.
Sad, but true.