Photo Choices.

Printing photos of a man's suicide is in no way, shape or form appropriate. I feel as though only one of the four photos depicting the suicide of Pennsylvania treasurer R. Bud Dwyer is appopriate. Why? When choosing what I consider to be a suitable photo of a tragic incident, I feel as though it is most important to consider the friends and family of the individual. In this case, I would only post photo 1a. Dramatic, appropriate, and accurate, it captures the incident in a manner that cannot be misconstrued as poor taste. The gun is still visible, but it is not yet evident what he is planning on doing with it.

As for the rest of the photos...I would refuse to post any of them. How visually boring, right? I believe that a journalist's job is to cover a given story with the use of words, primarily, and the use of photos to emphasize the story. In the fourth picture, a young child is seen with part of a fence piercing his throat and coming out of his mouth. Maybe I have a weak stomach, but if a journalist was to describe this photo in explicit detail, I would cringe. It is easy to visualize after hearing a description, and I feel as though showing it is a bit too explicit. The reader doesn't need a photo. The words should be enough. If they aren't, perhaps the journalist hired to cover the story should look into another line of work. I hate to sound boring, but my sentiments for the rest of the photos are similar. I find them to be inappropriate. Graphic displays of a dead child being mourned by his family, a woman whose clothes have been torn to shreds by a mob of Mardi Gras driven men, or a photo of a murder victim sprawled across a printing press is probably NOT what most people expect to see while pressing a hot cup of Folger's to their lips. As journalists, we should all understand that words are powerful. Describe these photographs! Explain how the drown victim's brother has to be held up by two different adults because he is so distraught.

Yes, descriptions can be important. We often strive too much for short, concise sentences that we forget to include some much needed description. I am not against visual aids. I enjoy pictures. They enhance stories. However, if a story is full of detailed descriptions, maybe photos of dead bodies wouldn't be necessary, and a flood of letters to the editor can be avoided.