So is posting a photo of a dead person laying on the street on the MacResource forum is ok now?

[3d]

So is posting a photo of a dead person laying on the street on the MacResource forum is ok now? Can we, as an online community, give the man a little respect and show some human decency? Or is that too much to ask?

174 views with 18 comments and nobody feels this wrong?
http://forums.macresource.com/read.php?1,2444182

[jdc]

I thought it creepy aas well -- but has anyone confirmed its actually a deceased person?

[Carm]

Nah, to concerned about image size.
When I saw it. I was like OK. And didn’t comment. The person in the hazmat suit is like what are you doing taking a picture. Maybe they wanted to show for the shock valid

[SteveO]

Thanks for the heads up - I will avoid that thread.

[MindMeld]

Not the first time. I'm not defending or promoting this.

http://forums.macresource.com/read.php?2...sg-2376931

[Beam Me Up Scotty]

"So is posting a photo of a dead person laying on the street on the MacResource forum is ok now?"

Good question but I'm not so sure it's easily answered one way or another. This is a grey area of (photo) journalism.

Story (and photos) included in links:

Case in point #1:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/s...f-refugees

Young boy found lying face-down on a beach near Turkish resort of Bodrum was one of at least 12 Syrians who drowned attempting to reach Greece...three-year-old Alan Kurdi.

Case in point #2:
https://www.npr.org/2019/06/26/736177694...mmigration

Óscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez, 25, died as he tried to bring his 23-month-old daughter, Angie Valeria, to safety and a new life in the U.S. Images show the pair lying along the riverbank, with their feet in the water and their heads on the reeds of dry land.

Most likely you know these stories and have seen the pictures. Tragic and unsettling would be an understatement.

Some stories are so beyond our ability to comprehend that sometimes a photo is needed to bring about the sense of both scale and suffering. In particular I'm not so sure we are getting the full scope of the scale from the Chinese government. I'm led to believe that China is under reporting both size and number of deaths. Censorship from the government regarding the scale of this disease has also been reported. Worse still, both doctors and citizens can and will be jailed for speaking up. And saying it doesn't effect us (or the world) is short sighted. It will, it has and it will continue to do so for quite some time.

Regarding the photo of this elderly man dying from the virus or something else no one is certain. The Chinese government may tell us the truth or maybe not. But if it is true then people are literally dying in the streets. That's monumental and this photo brings it right in front of both our eyes and conscience.

So I can't really say if it was the 'right or wrong' thing to do by posting the photo. Right and wrong gets confusing in the complicated world we live in. At times a picture really is worth a 1000 words and in this case I certainly believe this is true.

D & C

[pRICE cUBE]

Recently heard a discussion about expectations of privacy in public places with interesting arguments for and against. We are all adults here and there is some tough news happening in the world. Sometimes the images are not pleasant but relevant to discussion. The subject topic will typically indicate that the subject matter isn't going to be for everyone.

[August West]

I was unaware of the thread, and I don't find anything amiss after viewing it. My gosh, the internet is insensitive, who would have ever guessed?

[Blankity Blank]

There are times, issues, etc. where the message does outweigh issues of strict comportment or sensibilities. As for this particular photo, it would be hard to find a more tame, less explicit example of the kind.

[Ombligo]

Time for the old photo-editor to chime in.

This was always a contentious issue in the newsroom and I was in the conversation more times than I care to remember. It was never a decision taken lightly and the idea that if it bleeds, it leads was not ever used. First and foremost, did the photo contribute to the story in a way that words did not - was the image newsworthy. If an image did not pass that basic test then it was never used. Were there other images that told the story as well (or nearly so) without showing a body. If there were, then most likely the body shot would not be used. Was the deceased shown in a dignified manner? This one can be tricky to explain, but perhaps an example - if a person's genitals were visible then it would definitely give pause, but would not necessarily eliminate the image from use (think of concentration camp images). The goal was to inform not to exploit.

We always knew there would be objections to ever using an image showing the deceased regardless of the circumstances. We could not let those override news decisions. Americans are amongst the most squeamish people in the world. In many other places throughout the world, I could randomly select a day and would almost be guaranteed of finding a dead person in a newspaper or TV report.

A photo can sometimes bring home the message in ways words never can - images are extremely powerful and there must be used with care.

Images showing death are never going to be easy to look at, but that does not mean they shouldn't be viewed. Death is a part of life and sometimes it needs to be seen.

However, in this particular instance, I personally do not believe the image truly adds to the storyline. There are too many unanswered questions about the circumstances of the photo. This is not to say that a death photo could not raise to the level in the Coronavirus story, but this one did not.