Photos of Saddam Hussein hanging?
The day of Saddam Hussein’s execution in Iraq is nearing. It could come as soon as this weekend, according to Associated Press reports.Journalists already are asking questions like, “Should we publish a photo of a hanging Saddam Hussein?” Generally at The Evening News we don’t print photos of dead bodies, either in the newspaper or on monroenews.com. When we photograph fatal accident or murder scenes, for example, we try to find an angle that tells the news without showing the body. When we select photos from war zones, we try to find images that accurately depict what happened, but without closeup views of fatalities.
The goal is to comprehensively report the news, but in the most tasteful manner possible. Many of our readers have told us they prefer a family-oriented newspaper and Web site, one their children can read without worrying about nightmares.
There are exceptions to every rule, however. The execution of Saddam Hussein will be one of the stories of the decade. Will readers be expecting the full, graphic version of the story, including photos of the hanging? Does the importance of this story overshadow our guidelines?
We probably won’t decide until we have the story and photos in front of us. What do you think we should do?
December 29th, 2006 at 12:23 pm
Fox News is devoting its Fri afternoon airtime to covering Hussein’s imminent hanging with a zeal it usually reserves for John Kerry gaffes.
(To be fair and balanced, CNN and MSNBC are feeding the 24-hr news beast in similar fashion, ‘tho with a smidge more on Pres. Ford’s death.)
It’s no stretch to imagine a countdown clock in the corner of the screen should a specific time of execution get out. Are you not entertained?
By the time the presses roll on Sat morning’s edition of the MEN, any graphic pics or video of Hussein’s execution that’re released (and there will be) will be all over the “new media.” There’ll probably be a dozen YouTube parodies, complete with ironic pop music soundtracks, by the time your carriers start flipping papers onto front walks, for starters.
So err on the side of caution, quaint as it may seem sometimes. Leave the nightmare fodder to not getting a Wii for Christmas and contemplating life without new episodes of “King of Queens.”
We all know the only 2 words more compatible than “family” and “friendly” are “chocolate” and “raspberry,” after all.
January 1st, 2007 at 9:27 am
I’ve already seen some of the video today. It’s all over the internet of course. Personally, I don’t like to look. But, this event spans many cultures. Writers and editors know about audience, and how different cultures view things like this.
Many people in Iraq wanted to see for themselves, to make absolutely sure it was indeed Saddam that was hung. They did warn however, that to publicize it too widely would make him a martyr to the Sunni’s.
Our culture on the other hand is so bombarded with instant entertainment we are a nation of bored and, as a result, apathetic people. Movies are more and more wild. Weddings are more and more extravagant. Everything is in excess because the bar is raised so high for audience reaction. We’re simply accustomed to outrageous news and events. The return of public execution is a fact with the internet. Face it. It’s the Colosseum of the 21st century.
I think we should listen to the people of the culture that is affected. The Iraqi’s have warned against overpublicizing it. CNN has covered it. The internet has thoroughly covered it. I don’t think the Monroe News needs to include it.
January 1st, 2007 at 6:26 pm
This is a great question.
An execution is an act of government. And so, I think that it should be available for public consumption in some form.
Take the recent bungled execution in Florida. If there hadn’t been any public witnesses, I’d bet that would have been nicely swept under the rug. And you have to wonder if we’d have the death penalty anywhere if a bungled execution like that were videotaped and broadcast.
So, the decision not to publish can potentially bias the debate. It’s important information.
I watched the Saddam execution - both the cell phone version and the Iraqi TV version. While it was certainly disturbing to see, I think that it was very informative. I was shocked to see the amateurish nature of the entire thing. I expected more formality. I was also shocked to see that it became almost an anti-Sunni, Shia revenge video. No one will know that unless they see the tape or read a transcript.
I was also disturbed that the United States took such a hands-off approach to something so central to our mission in Iraq. The United States could have managed that execution and still had government executioners release the ropes. So, that tape was a bit more evidence of the disconnect that I see between our leadership and the reality we face in Iraq.
I think that the newspaper shouldn’t publish the most graphic portions of the video. But I do think that a slightly edited video link on the website with a disclaimer would be appropriate.
Too much of what is happening these days happens in secret. We need freedom and information now more than ever, but within reason.
Mike
January 5th, 2007 at 9:57 am
A short epilogue.
It turned out that no graphic photos of the hanging were released - other than the grainy, out-of-focus video from a cell phone. So the decisions were relatively easy.