The breakfast test challenge
Felice Thompson
Issue date: 5/13/09 Section: Campus Life
Falling man, falling baby and a charbroiled soldier! Words cannot describe the censored graphic images that were displayed during a visit from textbook author, Ken Kobre.
Ken Kobre, professor and professional photographer showed examples of tragic realities in Studium Generale during First Amendment week.
He spoke to students and faculty concerning the ethics of photojournalism. The question; do newspapers run a photo or not. Tragedy sells newspapers but how do editors decide what will meet the "breakfast test." The dilemma editors have to decide if a child (or parent) viewing a photo would be too shocking to view gathered around the breakfast table.
Kobre first image was a photo of a collapsed metal fire escape and a baby and young girl falling to their death. The question posed to the audience should the newspaper publish the photo? The majority of the audience gave resounding thumbs down, no.
The outcome? The photo did run.
Over time the result of running the photo created change in the laws and inspection of failed fire escapes. While shocking, the result of running that graphic photo spawned change.
The falling man was the image Esquire ran of the jumper after the 911 disaster.
In the United States, newspapers generally avoid running dead corpse images. If they do choose to run a graphic image is it buried inside the paper, rarely on the front page.
What to publish and where? Photojournalists and editors have to decide this issue regularly.
Does the public's right to know outweigh the effects to the family and the viewers? Photojournalist and editor alike believe in the Utilitarianism theory that stories and images are published not to harm the afflicted but for the greater good of humanity. The scales are weighed everyday, every story, and every photo.
The charbroiled soldier will be indelibly etched in the eyes that viewed the image. A Kuwait soldier's remains after a fire bomb attack.
Kobre offered insight and story to the tragic images he displayed. Viewing such images can be disturbing or difficult to view. Can they make a difference? History will decide. To view the falling baby, visit:
http://www.worldsfamousphotos.com/fire-on-marlborough-street-1975.html
Ken Kobre, professor and professional photographer showed examples of tragic realities in Studium Generale during First Amendment week.
He spoke to students and faculty concerning the ethics of photojournalism. The question; do newspapers run a photo or not. Tragedy sells newspapers but how do editors decide what will meet the "breakfast test." The dilemma editors have to decide if a child (or parent) viewing a photo would be too shocking to view gathered around the breakfast table.
Kobre first image was a photo of a collapsed metal fire escape and a baby and young girl falling to their death. The question posed to the audience should the newspaper publish the photo? The majority of the audience gave resounding thumbs down, no.
The outcome? The photo did run.
Over time the result of running the photo created change in the laws and inspection of failed fire escapes. While shocking, the result of running that graphic photo spawned change.
The falling man was the image Esquire ran of the jumper after the 911 disaster.
In the United States, newspapers generally avoid running dead corpse images. If they do choose to run a graphic image is it buried inside the paper, rarely on the front page.
What to publish and where? Photojournalists and editors have to decide this issue regularly.
Does the public's right to know outweigh the effects to the family and the viewers? Photojournalist and editor alike believe in the Utilitarianism theory that stories and images are published not to harm the afflicted but for the greater good of humanity. The scales are weighed everyday, every story, and every photo.
The charbroiled soldier will be indelibly etched in the eyes that viewed the image. A Kuwait soldier's remains after a fire bomb attack.
Kobre offered insight and story to the tragic images he displayed. Viewing such images can be disturbing or difficult to view. Can they make a difference? History will decide. To view the falling baby, visit:
http://www.worldsfamousphotos.com/fire-on-marlborough-street-1975.html
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