In recent discussions of the infamous Boston photographs, a controversial issue has been whether newspapers should be able to print pictures of victim’s corpses. On the one hand, some argue that death is normal and should be published. On the other hand, however, others argue that it is immoral and should not be allowed. I think the newspapers should not have to hide a natural process of life.
Just like Nora Ephron states in her essay about the Boston photographs “Death happens to be one of life’s main events”. Newspapers primary responsibility is to share current events with the public, death happens every day; it does not get more current than that. Newspapers are doing an injustice to the people if they do not include pictures of the deceased bodies, it would be like only giving half the story. I understand the problems that printing pictures like that bring but seeing the actual impact provides a greater realization than just reading the story. Death is not something you can live life escaping, one must deal with it in one way or another and sugarcoating it cannot conceal the truth.
This generation seems to have grown up under false pretenses. Myself for example never thought or even knew that half of the tragedies in the world are occurring or even the severity of them. Someone who a sound like they are on the same page as I am is a writer by the name of Jerry Lanson. Jerry’s piece was published in Media Ethics Magazine after writing about how he felt that pictures of dead bodies belonged in the newspaper regardless to how it made readers feel because he believed they were there “both to inform the public and engage it in an event too remote for most to grasp”. After seeing such gruesome pictures it really puts life in perspective and adds value to existence. These pictures can be used as a wakeup call, something everyone needs a little bit more of.
One of the greatest things about living in The United States of Amer...