On Mon, Jan 28, 2013 at 4:53 PM, Kevin M. <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Mon, Jan 28, 2013 at 4:34 PM, PGage <[email protected]> wrote: > > > One of my friends on Google+ reminded me today is the 27th anniversary > of the Challenger explosion. As a child when the explosion took place, > it was probably my first conscious exposure to the media showing > grieving faces and intrusively trying to get quotes from family > members and friends (and even people entirely disconnected from the > shuttle program -- for whatever reason, KABC rushed a camera crew to > my sister's high school in La Verne, CA where she was asked for her > reaction). I believe the media was at its worst in exploiting those in > grief the days and weeks following 9/11, when it seemed like you > couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting an image of somebody caught > on camera grieving. Obviously, there is a demographic who wants to see > this -- I'm not among them. True - and there were lots of just disgusting and unjustifiable images from Newtown, particularly those abusive images of young children who had just escaped. But what I found so remarkable about the story you linked to was that the image underlying it was one about which reasonable people could disagree. The image itself was iconic of the tragedy, and the subject was an adult in a public space. I don't think there was anything gratuitous or inappropriate about the image. On the other hand, it was obviously a very private moment on a horrible day, and taking the photo was incredibly intrusive. Asking permission before, or consent after, seems like, if the legal or ethical thing to do, at least the human thing to do. The subject did not go on a rant attacking the gutter press for taking her image, and specifically did not request that that image be withdrawn, and she denied that she was offended. But she did make a calm and reasonable request that permission be asked at least before publishing such a private image. The photographer in turn gave a reasonable response, which was that he felt horrible even taking the image given the circumstances, but it was his job, and he thought on balance it would be less intrusive to just take the picture and leave, without interrupting. I certainly can imagine a different subject in the same kind of pose expressing irritation with a someone who interrupted their prayer to ask permission - "just take your picture and leave me alone!" a person might easily have said. I think the response and actions of both the subject of the photograph, and the photographer, are understandable and reasonable in this case. -- -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
