The subject of violent and shocking images and their place in the media is a subject I’ve covered before on this blog before, here and here.
Getty have a feature on subject in the first issue of their new online mag, Edit. They’ve asked picture editors from publications around the world about what they consider taboo; And the results are interesting. European, particularly French and German publications, push the boundary of what’s acceptable. UK editors tend towards iconic ‘aftermath’ images, and US editors have to pick their way through a much bigger cultural, political and social minefield… It takes conviction and a strong belief in the truth and the power of editorial to publish a photo of hanged and burned Americans in a publication like the LA Times.
The slightly reassuring thing I took away was the fact that no one publishes images like this just for a hike in ratings and circulation, no one had exclusive over any of them. When you’re handling imagery this strong, you don’t mess about.
