Optional Blog Post on Violent Images

Note: I chose to take on the newsroom perspective of the issue of violent images. I used this article as my reference: https://niemanreports.org/articles/how-newsrooms-handle-graphic-images-of-violence/
The following letter is from the perspective of a TV producer at CNN, writing to his boss, William Inkwell

Dear Mr. Inkwell,
There are new images out of Kharkiv. The war rages on and the atrocities have led to more innocent civilian deaths. I am writing to request your permission to air a one particular image. This image is of a dead child in the town square, after an early-morning attack. Now, I understand your sentiment towards the proliferation of violent images. But please, hear me out. This senseless war has gone on long enough. People are dying in droves. The only way that we can put an end to the war, is by stirring up enough public sentiment, to urge action. The people of the European nations surrounding Ukraine, need to be outraged at the atrocities being committed. Simply because Ukraine is not a member of NATO, or the EU, does not mean that the people of the world can turn their backs on them. Allow me to echo the sentiment of the Washington Post's Liz Sly, "We're violating their dignity by not publicizing them and having them die in silence in the dark." By not honoring the people Ukraine, by telling their story, we disgrace them, and make their death just another routine occurrence. Now, I understand that there are bigger issues on the home-front, with midterm elections around the corner. However, this topic will surely influence the voters to some extent, based on what the candidates deem an appropriate response. A war of this magnitude cannot be ignored, and neither can its victims. Sir, I beseech you, do not disgrace the victims of this war. Let this image be aired.

Sincerely,
Joe Mama

Comments

  1. Sohum KapoorOctober 23, 2022 at 6:38 PM

    I really liked how you chose such impactful words and used them to convey your message in your letter. I also appreciate how you humorously used "Joe Mama" as your sender.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jacob ROctober 24, 2022 at 6:16 PM

    I really liked your opinion and hot-takes, it was very easy to nod along with you and your points. I really liked how instead of just inserting a quote you stated that you would instead "echo the sentiment" of the article you chose.

    ReplyDelete
  3. kushyOctober 24, 2022 at 7:05 PM

    I thought it was interesting that you signed your letter off with "Joe Mama". While this was probably meaningless, I thought it well crafted. Joe Mama is often used as a joke to someone that is dumb/stupid. Signing off this letter with Joe Mama shows that even someone as (stupid) as Joe Mama can understand this situtation and how obvious it is to show the violent images to public, thus supporting your argument.

    ReplyDelete

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