Boston Marathon thread

sparks19

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#21
I am extremely uneasy about censorship, and I think that it is the media's responsibility to release the photos and videos that they have. It can be done in such a way as to not slap people in the face, such as posting them on news websites rather than TV, including warnings, and blocking out people's faces if appropriate. Being graphic and disturbing are not good reasons to not make images public, particularly considering the impact this event will have on the US going forward. I understand that the victims do lose some privacy, but like it or not this was not a private tragedy, it was a very public one.
But to post them before families could even be notified? No that is not censorship, that is just common decency.

Same with the photos they are postig, it just seems like common decency to not post a photo of someone who is possibly deceased or a photo of a man with his legs missing, it shouldn't be a matter of censorship, it should be respect for those who are suffering from injuries, loss of limbs, loss of lfe of a loved one, post traumatic stress, etc. i think the photo of the blood stained street or the immediate photos of veryone swarming the victims with blood everywhere convey the severity pretty well. It's not even about privacy for me but howing some sort of empathy for the victims and how hard this will be for them to overcome while these photos are plastered everywhere
 

Dogdragoness

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#22
While I agree those photos are not appropriate for the general public I am MORE bothered by doctoring photos for the public. Talk about blurring the line. The guy, in the wheelchair, with the blanket on his lap? There is an identical shot on another news site without the blanket and while the shot is upsettingly gruesome it really makes me uncomfortable that they doctored the photo without a clear admission such as an old school blur or big black censor bar.
I agree, I do not like doctoring or withholding photos from the public either jut to keep from offending people? This was a horrible act! & it need to be shown just how horrible it is!

Though I do think the faces of the people they showed should have been blurred out.
 

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#23
But to post them before families could even be notified? No that is not censorship, that is just common decency.
I understand that, but that is the nature of the world we live in. We have a 24 hour news cycle, and a lot of competition in the media in both traditional media and bloggers. It was the finish line of one of the biggest marathons in the country and I'm sure nearly every person there had a camera of some kind and could post the pics to the web almost immediately. I think it's unrealistic with an event as public as this in the technology and the media age that we live in to expect anything but what we got.

Yes, it would have been ideal for families to be notified before images were posted but I'm just not sure how that would have been accomplished with 582818364 people with cameras, smart phones, and media already in attendance for the race.
 

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#24
I understand that, but that is the nature of the world we live in. We have a 24 hour news cycle, and a lot of competition in the media in both traditional media and bloggers. It was the finish line of one of the biggest marathons in the country and I'm sure nearly every person there had a camera of some kind and could post the pics to the web almost immediately. I think it's unrealistic with an event as public as this in the technology and the media age that we live in to expect anything but what we got.

Yes, it would have been ideal for families to be notified before images were posted but I'm just not sure how that would have been accomplished with 582818364 people with cameras, smart phones, and media already in attendance for the race.
Also agreed.
 

sparks19

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#25
I understand that, but that is the nature of the world we live in. We have a 24 hour news cycle, and a lot of competition in the media in both traditional media and bloggers. It was the finish line of one of the biggest marathons in the country and I'm sure nearly every person there had a camera of some kind and could post the pics to the web almost immediately. I think it's unrealistic with an event as public as this in the technology and the media age that we live in to expect anything but what we got.

Yes, it would have been ideal for families to be notified before images were posted but I'm just not sure how that would have been accomplished with 582818364 people with cameras, smart phones, and media already in attendance for the race.
How sad it is that we live in a time with so little common sense and common decency that the news stations feel they have to post the most graphic photo they can get so someone doesn't get the jump on them. It's sick that people are even standing around taking a photo of a man in serious distress missing his legs instead of doing what they can to help :(

People are just a photo op now.

Not censorship but I feel there are just things people don't have to see to get the point. They are exploiting the victims IMO.
 

Beanie

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#26
How sad it is that we live in a time with so little common sense and common decency that the news stations feel they have to post the most graphic photo they can get so someone doesn't get the jump on them. It's sick that people are even standing around taking a photo of a man in serious distress missing his legs instead of doing what they can to help :(

People are just a photo op now.

Not censorship but I feel there are just things people don't have to see to get the point. They are exploiting the victims IMO.
Agreed with all this. It's about sensationalism more than anything else... just a photo op indeed. =<
I also don't agree that we have to be shown graphic images to know how horrible it is. Should we have to watch a woman be raped to know rape is horrible? I certainly don't need to. I know it's horrible.
 

sparks19

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#27
Agreed with all this. It's about sensationalism more than anything else... just a photo op indeed. =<
I also don't agree that we have to be shown graphic images to know how horrible it is. Should we have to watch a woman be raped to know rape is horrible? I certainly don't need to. I know it's horrible.
Amen, sister. Sensationalism, indeed!
 

Laurelin

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#28
How sad it is that we live in a time with so little common sense and common decency that the news stations feel they have to post the most graphic photo they can get so someone doesn't get the jump on them. It's sick that people are even standing around taking a photo of a man in serious distress missing his legs instead of doing what they can to help :(
That was something I was thinking about. I drag my camera around with me all the time so I was trying to figure out what I thought I would have done if I had been there. My final conclusion was that I probably would have dropped the camera on the ground. I can't imagine standing there while someone is bleeding and hurt and taking a photo.

On the other hand, they are looking at photos and videos as evidence now. So maybe it would have been helpful to take video. I dunno.
 
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#30
Agreed. Should we have to watch a woman be raped to know rape is horrible? I certainly don't need to. I know it's horrible.
Should we have to? Goodness no....but are there many who DONT get how tragic rape is...that maybe would if they actually experienced it? You bet. (Please note, I am NOT in any way suggesting this should actually happen!!!)

IMO, people are naturally curious and gawkers. Many of us are going to look, going to be intrigued. For some it does help. I do agree the lines get pushed and sometimes crossed, but honestly, I dont know, I dont think its ok to block or censor it either (with the exception of blurring faces, that I think is a good idea in some situations)

I also dont like the idea that people who are taking pics or videos are somehow wrong for not helping. For some (journalist/cameraman) its their job and what comes naturally...for others I am sure they were in various states of shock and the camera helped distance themselves. Everyone likes to think they are one of the helpers but in the heat of the moment, its just not as natural or easy for many. No one knows how they would actually react until they experience it. Also, for all we know they may have turned the cameras off and the next second been making a tourniquet or picking someone up etc
 

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#33
Nobody HAS to look at the pictures. You chose to by the sites you go on and things you click on. This is not passive viewing, nobody is showing them to you, you (collective) are going to look at them. I've been on a number of news sites, watched lots of network news coverage (we don't have cable) and have not seen any dismemberment, because I've been very careful about what photos I see.

How far do we take this? Do we not show the Twin Towers falling because people were dying as they fell? Do we not show any photos of the aftermath of any tragedy because people were killed and injured there?

If I have a choice between more information or less, I'll take more, even if it is horrible, even if it is disturbing.
 
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#35
No one has to like it but it is certainly how I feel. A photo op to post onfacebook or twitter.
I guess my point is...this is how YOU feel...not necessarily how the person posting feels.

Dont get me wrong, there are definitely some people who I am sure did...there are always some bad eggs. But I do not believe for one moment the majority or all of people who kept the cameras rolling (or clicking) felt that way.
 

sparks19

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#36
Nobody HAS to look at the pictures. You chose to by the sites you go on and things you click on. This is not passive viewing, nobody is showing them to you, you (collective) are going to look at them. I've been on a number of news sites, watched lots of network news coverage (we don't have cable) and have not seen any dismemberment, because I've been very careful about what photos I see.

How far do we take this? Do we not show the Twin Towers falling because people were dying as they fell? Do we not show any photos of the aftermath of any tragedy because people were killed and injured there?

If I have a choice between more information or less, I'll take more, even if it is horrible, even if it is disturbing.
Forgive me for not fully expecting to see dismemberment and not on a back alley news site. It was a major affiliate like ABC (I honestly don't remember if it was abc or not but i know it was one of the main network type pages but I was shocked to see it. As they say, what has been seen cannot be unseen)

No one is saying don't take photos of the scene but to take close up photos of dismemberment victims especially without blurring their faces (which they didn't do until people started blasting them for being so callous and disrespectful)? That is not like taking a photo of a building or of the wreckage (although if I recall someone finally told the news to cool it and stop showing the footage for a while so people could heal)

How does posting a photo of a person that has expired or a person missing their legs give more information? We already knew people were dead and lost limbs.
 
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Laurelin

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#37
Nobody HAS to look at the pictures. You chose to by the sites you go on and things you click on. This is not passive viewing, nobody is showing them to you, you (collective) are going to look at them. I've been on a number of news sites, watched lots of network news coverage (we don't have cable) and have not seen any dismemberment, because I've been very careful about what photos I see.
When the story first broke it was a lot harder to avoid. It wasn't like I clicked on the photo slideshow or anything, it was right at the top of the first page. I like news sites and I want information. Even this morning I clicked on a link to a news article about it and saw the guy in the wheelchair. I clicked out fast enough that I didn't see if it was the cropped version or not.

I have mixed feelings about it all. I think it's important for us to take it seriously but on the other hand I feel SO MUCH for the people in the photos. Especially the guy in the wheelchair with missing leg(s). He looked horrible, you know this has to be completely traumatic for him. I just can't even fathom what he was going through at that moment. And I feel badly for him that that moment was front and cover of about half the news stories in the world.

and maybe that means the photos are really effective since that particular photo bothered me so much.
 

sillysally

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#38
Should we have to? Goodness no....but are there many who DONT get how tragic rape is...that maybe would if they actually experienced it? You bet. (Please note, I am NOT in any way suggesting this should actually happen!!!)

IMO, people are naturally curious and gawkers. Many of us are going to look, going to be intrigued. For some it does help. I do agree the lines get pushed and sometimes crossed, but honestly, I dont know, I dont think its ok to block or censor it either (with the exception of blurring faces, that I think is a good idea in some situations)

I also dont like the idea that people who are taking pics or videos are somehow wrong for not helping. For some (journalist/cameraman) its their job and what comes naturally...for others I am sure they were in various states of shock and the camera helped distance themselves. Everyone likes to think they are one of the helpers but in the heat of the moment, its just not as natural or easy for many. No one knows how they would actually react until they experience it. Also, for all we know they may have turned the cameras off and the next second been making a tourniquet or picking someone up etc
This.

Sometimes people just don't know HOW to help. A couple of years ago a guy on a motorcycle ran a red light and hit our car. He was going fast, his helmet came off and he was badly injured. DH and I and bystanders were talking to him and calling 911 but we where all afraid to touch him in case he had a spinal injury. I don't think we did the wrong thing.
 

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#39
I guess what I saw was not as bad as I expected but I did not search for pics. Just what was on the CNN article while I was at work yesterday and news today.


I do know I will never get the image of people jumping out of the towers out of my mind. I try not to look at pics after that. Just someone mentioning it makes me anxious. There doesn't need to be gore involved to make it awful.
 
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#40
I definitely agree that the amount of exposure some pics will get, the way the media saturates us, etc is ridiculous. HOWEVER, they wouldnt be doing it if people werent watching the 24/7 coverage, etc.

Personally, I do not watch the news, I dont have cable. I only look when I want to, online, doing searches. That likely is a big part of my view being what it is.
 

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