The Photos We'll Never SeePaul underscores the death of another great American journalistic tradition: the lightning-in-a-bottle capturing by photojournalists. In fact, the "photojournalist" is all but extinct. What we have now are just guys with cameras jockeying for position to snap posed non-candid dog and pony shows. No guts in reporting. No guts in photography.
I am no photo editor. But this is the time when we begin to see roundups of the best news photos of the past year. And just running the loop of the year's most memorable pictures in my head, a funny thing happens:
I keep seeing staged photos.
For those who are sticklers for definition, I am defining "staged" as any photo arranged through the efforts of the person pictured, or arranged to reflect that person's world view.
There's that photo, for instance, of President George W. Bush making his tailhook landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln. That is a shoo-in for the top 10 list, and a classic of staged photography.
There's Bush again, taking turkey with the troops during his lightning visit to Baghdad last week. That's sure to be included, too.
Then there's the big one - the picture of Saddam Hussein's statue being pulled down with ropes by American soldiers in Baghdad. That will have to be the No. 1 news photo of the year 2003.
You say that one wasn't staged. But I say "staged" would include any photographic opportunity that has been facilitated by 140,000 American and British troops entering a country uninvited and bringing with them a few thousand members of the media. (continued)
Too bad if some people object. Instead of doing your jobs, you alleged "journalists" are just coasting and being led by the nose. Hang your heads in shame. All of you.
