Warning: Does Not Contain Graphic Images

Ever been scrolling through your newsfeed and ran across a graphic image that someone has shared? If you’re like me, these photos are shocking. Honestly, I don’t want to see these types of photos in my newsfeed. Because technology has evolved to point where anyone with a camera phone can be a citizen journalist, posting raw images on social media the minute they happen. Large news organizations are also able to post photos and stories and have them seen by millions of people worldwide in a span of five minutes. But is this ethical? Should individuals and news organizations be able to post graphic photos where the people in the photo can be clearly identified? These photos may “sell more papers”, but at what cost?
During the Boston bombings, people on the ground as well as news reporters captured photos of severely injured victims and used those photos to help tell the story. While I do feel that pictures are worth a thousand words, what is the privacy of these individuals worth? How would you feel if you saw an image of your brother/husband/son/dad with his leg literally blasted off his body plastered across social media or the nightly news? If that was me or my family member, I would be absolutely appalled. Why would I want the whole world to see up close what could have been the worst, most agonizing moments of my life? While I understand that the counter argument to using graphic photos is to show the raw nature of the event and show people what really happened first hand, I feel like at the very least the person or organization posting the photos should have full permissions from the individual or family involved as well as have the photos under a “door” on a website that warns the audience about the graphic nature of the photos. Regardless of the story or how great an image is, everybody doesn’t want to or need to see them.
If you have been following my blog, you may have noticed that I use photos and illustrations in every one of my posts, as I feel like it is more engaging and helps better tell the story that I am trying to get across. For this post, however, out of respect for any person or family whose privacy has been violated by the use of graphic photos, I have chosen to refrain from posting any.