There’s an issue that I have been wanting to address for a while now, and as a photographer I feel it is my duty to do so, more so than your average Joe.
You see, the local newspapers here in Curacao have a very cruel and horrible way of publishing news down here. Instead of solid journalism and heartfelt photos, they deliver sub-par to bad journalism with gruesome and graphic photos to sell papers.
I’m sorry that I don’t have scans to show you what I am referring to, but I will do my best to present my case with one very special story that cut to the core of me last year, and has been a splinter in my side ever since.
At some point last year, from what I can recall at this time, there was a man fishing by a cliff here on the island. Ordinary day; Sunny, blue skies, beautiful. This man was there with a friend if I recall correctly.
What happened was that at some point this poor man, slipped and fell in the water. And because of the heavy current, he was slammed repeatedly into the cliff, as the waves crashed against the hard, sharp rocks of the cliff basin.
Because of this, the man was injured, he was bleeding into the water. Now this being the north shore of the island, where the water is deep, and very rough.
Another thing this side of the island is known for is sharks. Tiger sharks and bull sharks among them, which are some of the deadliest sharks out there, as they are very violent and always very hungry.
The friend seeing what had happened had called the authorities and the man’s family, which, living not too far away rushed to the scene; his wife, his children.
A family standing by the cliff’s edge watching their husband, their father fighting to save his own life. He was swallowing water, and bleeding profusely into the water.
A coast guard helicopter appeared on the scene, and along with them, our very own, proud and professional press.
The helicopter was positioning itself to throw a rope ladder down to the man, at the same time these “newspaper photographers” aka fucking assholes (I don’t dare call them photo journalists) are readying their cameras to snap away, making for a hot news day.
Before the ladder reaches the water and to the sound of endless shutters snapping away like alligator teeth in the background, to everyone’s surprise, two massive sharks (presumably tiger or bull shark) attacks the victim. One shark grabs the top half of this man, and the other grabs the lower half, rip the man in two.
The coastguard saw this, the family saw this, the friend saw this, and thanks to the fucking assholes with cameras, every one on the island saw this as well on front pages across the board.
Now, as if this wasn’t enough the photographers saw fit to take pictures of the family’s reaction to this as it was happening, I mean of course the family could do all manners of things as this happens, and we absolutely positively need to see this family’s most humbling moment in the paper. We need to see the anguish, the drama, the tears, the screams, the abuse, the horror, the terror, the absolute murder of a family as it happens live for their starving audience, who will eagerly pay to see this. Congratulations Curacao press, you have done it.
Now let me go on to explain to you what this article looks like in the paper.
Two full pages ladies and gentlemen! Two full, colored pages! (Besides what’s blood in the water without the red?)
I will not refer to the graphic words they used to describe this event as it unfolded, but I assure you that it came off as the amused ranting and raving of a movie reviewer as he reviewed the latest “Die Hard” entry into the series. Very colorful indeed.
I will instead try and explain to you, the photographs accompanying this article.
A series of photos. A collage really. Imagine if you will about 10 - 15 pictures strewn across these pages. All in chronological order.I will refer to the deceased as “John Doe”, the newspaper used his full name.
- A picture of a man bobbing in the water with a cation that goes like “Here you can see John Doe in the water fighting for his life”
- A picture of the sharks arriving on the scene “Uh oh, there are sharks in the water!”
- A picture of the sharks attacking the man “Here the sharks are ripping John Doe in half”
- A picture of all the blood in the water “Here we see the waters of the north shore turn red with John Doe’s blood”
- A picture of parts of his body coming up, drifting in the water “Here we see John Doe’s foot is all that’s left of this vicious attack”
- A picture of the sharks twisting and turning in the water as they break apart the body of this man “Here we see the sharks are actually flipping about in the water, tearing apart John Doe’s body”
- A picture of a family torn, screaming, crying in anguish, bewildered “Here we see John’s family, clearly disturbed by what’s going on in front of them”.
And so this went on…
Now…*sigh*
I’m not even sure how to express myself without going off like a canon here. I will do my best.
When I saw all of this, I was absolutely outraged. And I am someone you would be hard pressed to ever get excited about anything, but this had me huffing and puffing for quite a while.
Let me start by displaying the following, which is what wikipedia has under the description of photojournalism:
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism (the collecting, editing, and presenting of news material for publication or broadcast) that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such as documentary photography, social documentary photography, street photography or celebrity photography) by the qualities of:
- Timeliness — the images have meaning in the context of a recently published record of events.
- Objectivity — the situation implied by the images is a fair and accurate representation of the events they depict in both content and tone.
- Narrative — the images combine with other news elements to make facts relatable to the viewer or reader on a cultural level.
Like a writer, a photojournalist is a reporter but he or she must often make decisions instantly and carry photographic equipment, often while exposed to significant obstacles (physical danger, weather, crowds).
Did you guys see the word fair in bold letters there? Fair. Fucking fair.
Did that story I just tell seem “fair” to you?! At all?? Am I overreacting? I don’t think so.
It was not fair. It was a circus, a show. It’s a disgrace. I am utterly disgusted by our local newspapers, and more so their “photographers”. They are in the same group to me as poachers, rapists, murderers and Hitler.
I will go on record saying that if I were that poor man’s family, I would have flat out murdered the photographer. I’m not just saying that. I would have smashed his camera to the ground, and bashed his head in with the nearest and sharpest rock, until he is absolutely turned into mush.
This is this families worst moment. It is their downfall, they are on their knees, at the mercy of this wild and crazy life. And you are there, snapping away with your big ol’ camera. Why? To sell papers. Money.
Is this the kind of world we want to live in? Really?!
I feel that we should boycott the local newspapers. Stop buying. Stop reading. Because this shit has to stop. And this isn’t the first or last time dear readers.
Motorists in horrible accidents with their brains all over the pavement. Front page.
Men bleeding to death on gurneys with bullet holes in them. Front page.
All this stuff full page. Organs. Limbs. Front page.
This is not photojournalism. This is a freak show. A sick joke. And it’s allowed. Here on Curacao.
I say fuck ‘em. The lot of them. I don’t buy papers, I never will, not even those with MY articles in them, about my work. I don’t. I don’t agree with this shit, and I want to see it come to an end.
In my own words now.
Photojournalism should be a fair depiction of what’s going on. It should be artistic in a way, where the viewer can understand what is happening, but you don’t need to submit the viewer to absolutely graphic images like this, and we don’t need to disrespect the dead or their grieving families.
That is the point. Respect, is the point. Having the semblance of a heart, is the point.
Know your limits as a photojournalist. Know what hits the spot, that will make the reader empathize, feel or spring into action, but do not disrespect, do not sell out, do not spit and piss and shit on other people’s suffering so you can get ahead in this world. No dear readers, no..that should not be allowed.
What is allowed to happen here with our local newspapers is a crime.
These kids have to go to school and deal with: “Oh hey, saw your dad in the paper, that was fucked up” , or maybe worse, maybe bullying “Ha-ha-ha, heard your dad went to lunch with some sharks, saw it in the paper, that was gross”
These people make a living of adding insult to injury.
Don’t agree with me? Okay. What if it was your father in the water? In that paper?
Your brother? Your son? Your husband? Your friend?
Agree with me yet?
Would you buy that paper?
Don’t think kids can be so cruel? Well I am living, breathing proof, that they can be.
Now here are some pictures of real photojournalism that function as they should, without crossing lines.
As you watch these photos, realize this:
In these surroundings, if you were there, there are always worse things to photograph, all around you, there are definitely worse things to photograph. But you wait, patiently, you observe, and you see with your heart, and think with your humanity, not with your greed, and you don’t get lazy. You could just as easily snap a picture of any random child or person getting executed around you but you don’t. You wait, and you see, and you feel. You choose your subjects carefully, respectfully.
You take the picture after the fact, from a distance, of the bodies. Or before, everyone knows what’s about to happen, and you can see God’s fear in the eyes of the victims. The reader will understand the gravity of the situation. There is no need to exploit.
There is always a better way to document the world around you. Please learn from this.
In closing let me take this opportunity to express my absolute grief at the family of the poor man who was the victim of the shark attack. I am so sorry for your loss, and I am so sorry that you were also the victim, the victim of greed.
I also apologize if I got any of the details of that story incorrect, this was at some point last year, and I am absent minded. But I am sure that I got the gist of it, and now I’m only hoping that I get my point across.
And to all you photographers who took those pictures, fuck the lot of you. It’s a good thing that I’m a firm believer that what goes around comes around.
