| | A picture is worth - more than a thousand words!January 25, 2011 - Pat BeckAs a newspaper, we are very aware that photos have the power to bring an immediate emotional reaction, sometimes more than the written word does. This is particularly the case with news photos. From Jan. 16 to 23, The Leader-Herald published approximately 240 pictures. The daily decisions about which news photos to publish are not taken lightly. Soft-news photos of local business people receiving awards, young athletes earning praise or people making donations to charitable organizations are easy choices. Hard-news photos are more difficult. Such was the case with Monday’s photo of the sheep, which died in a tragic barn fire Sunday along with nearly 200 other animals. The photographer, reporter, editors and publisher all reviewed the photo and the story, and discussed how they would be presented. The decision was not made lightly. The Leader-Herald covers the news — both good and bad. Here in the Adirondack Foothills, we are fortunate not to live in a place where car bombings or natural disasters are common events, but neither do we live in a utopia that shelters us from tragedies and death when they do occur. This debate — whether newspapers should print photos of the dead and dying, people or animals — has gone on for a very long time, since the invention of the camera, and since the father of photojournalism, Mathew Brady, captured images of Civil War battlefields littered with bodies of the fallen. Since Monday’s edition was published, we have received numerous complaints in the form of earnest phone calls and angry comments in cyberspace. Those who were offended by the photo expressed it both in meaningful ways and in cruel, outlandish accusations. We knew these complaints would come, but we decided to publish the photo anyway. It was the right thing to do because the image helped convey the harsh reality of the news event, tragic as it was. Some readers have told us they support our decision. “I’m just glad that a photograph still has the power to outrage people,” one reader commented. “I was beginning to wonder if we’d all become numb.” Another reader solidly expressed, personally, being very disturbed by the photo, yet took the issue a step further: “I still will champion the right and the necessity for the paper to print the news, however disturbing it may be. For me, I would teach my child how important it is to protect our animals. Obviously, young children may be upset by this — you know your child. But this is an important lesson. If the newspapers start ‘protecting’ us from images we don’t care for, or news that is disturbing, what’s next?” I thank this person, who isn’t involved with any newspaper or media outlet. I couldn’t have said it any better than that.
Article Comments(21)carolsmithFeb-23-11 4:52 AM Good God, We Make decision, Too! <a href="***********sexyeditor****">cheap used cars</a> DiscobulousFeb-13-11 11:31 AM What if its a digital picture? How many pixels is it worth? SeeingitstraightFeb-01-11 12:48 PM We should look to the local paper to ram stories like this down our throats. There was mutton wrong with the image. Ewe people need to get over yourselves. jjenejjJan-31-11 1:47 PM I was not upset by the picture, however, I do think it might have been better suited on an inside page so those who might have wanted to shield anyone from it could have. I know that this kid of stuff exists, however, I also know that people die in fires, but I don't want see their bodies on the front page either. teendudeJan-30-11 2:19 PM i didn't need a picture to impress upon me the magnitude of this sad happening. teebzzJan-30-11 1:41 PM shield children from a photo of a sheep that died tragically?? take a look at what kids are seeing in explicit video games... where they try to make everything as life-like as possible... stabbing, shooting, de-capitating, blowing up prostitutes and soldiers and common people. this is a NEWSpaper this pic in the paper is reality, a lesson. yes it should be disturbing. but not sensationalism. good for the leader herald in reporting the news! (mspetrin.. it was not a mistake or bad choice) WorkingFoolJan-28-11 11:12 AM So when you are driving down the road and a dead animal is laying there what are you suppose to do? To shield children from the realities of life is a far greater injustice and a insult to their intelligence. preciousbutterfkyJan-27-11 9:04 PM Omg really people!? A picture of a dead sheep!! Its so terrible my kids and I are going to be scared for life!! Get a grip! Bet you and your kids have or will see pictures of holocaust vitims and the mass graves in the camps. Or pictures of 911 and the war in the middle east. As stated before.....GROW UP!! DiscobulousJan-27-11 11:53 AM If a picture is worth a thousand words, does that mean a small picture is worth only about 600 words? OxyMoronJan-26-11 8:45 PM I thank Mrs. Beck for her stance in this matter though I do not agree with it but I am not looking for an apology either. If this was such a tough decision to make, then it should not have been made. Or, if I may suggest, there were other photos of this fire printed. Maybe it would have been in much better taste to print the picture of a dead animal on any other page but the front page just as the on-line version had done. Just a thought. OxyMoron aka Jennifer L. Miller mspetrinJan-26-11 6:42 PM I believe we are all entitiled to our feelings and opinions. It's not about the death of the animal for me in this case, as BCisanidiot is saying, it's about the printing of the picture. I realize animals die in many ways all the time. On news stations we get a warning like "remove your children from the room, disturbing photos coming up". This had to be viewed, like it or not. BCisanidiotJan-26-11 6:01 PM There we have it folks, mspetrin is so upset by a picture of a dead sheep and the lack of remorse of those who published it that she is considering canceling her subscription. I wonder if mspetrin has ever eaten in a restaurant that serves lamb. If so, will she no longer eat there? After all, if she would cancel her subscription to a newspaper that shows a picture of a dead sheep, surely she would stop going to a place that would actually give her a piece of one. People baffle me! Maybe everyone could cancel their subscription and the newspaper could go out of business. How great would that be? Another 100+ Fulton County residents without jobs. That sounds great. I'm sure the local city/county government officials would love to be able to make their back-room deals without having to justify why their son's wife deserves that 20 percent raise after 3 whole months on the job. GROW UP PEOPLE! mspetrinJan-26-11 3:14 PM Unfortunately, I am very let down by this response. I understand the explanation above by Ms. Beck, but it seems that an explanation is not enough (while as important as it may be). When I do something that offends one or many people (especially people I care about), yes, I would explain (in depth) but I would also apologize and admit I had made a bad choice. I may not have intentionally made the bad choice, but sometimes we learn that our decisions were poor ones by the reactions and consequnces that follow. I was truly waiting patiently with the confidence that I would read the work "sorry" or "apologize" when the response finally came. I held out hope and held up canceling my subscription. It seemed so simple. Everyone makes mistakes, the hard part is admitting it. SeeingitstraightJan-26-11 2:55 PM My first reaction when I saw the picture was "ewe!" BCisanidiotJan-26-11 2:45 PM Really Disco? That's the best you got? I would have guessed you would have said you thought running the picture was a baaaad idea, or that you didn't give a sheep about it one way or the other. You must be losing your edge. Now for words I never thought I would say — I agree with JudyMarcoux. Seriously, I'm sure it was a decision that was made after much discussion, and I applaud The Leader-Herald for making a decision it knew would result in numerous angry phone calls and comments on its website. Sometimes the best decisions are not popular. Keep up the good work! Post a Comment | in: News, Blogs & Events Web |
