Fallen Soldier

Today in Photojournalism class we discussed the controversial story of a marine named Joshua M. Bernard. The controversy revolves around the fact that photographer Julie Jacobson took a snapshot of the Corporal's last moments of life after he had been severely wounded  by a grenade. The Associated Press decided to publish this photo despite the family's wishes of privacy. The big question here is: was the Associated Press cruel in ignoring the family's request and releasing the photograph?


Although this is a very polemical subject, in my opinion, the AP was in a very difficult position. I believe this image should be published because it effectively shows the hardships soldiers have to face during periods of war. Every citizen should be aware about what the men and women of our country are experiencing in order to protect our country. On the contrary to the family's opinions, I see this photo as a sign of respect. This picture shows that individual's story and suffering. People should be aware of the way he died because this shows what actually happens during war time. If every single picture ever taken of people suffering had to have consent of their family's, there would hardly be any visuals to accompany history. For example, there are pictures from various disasters around the world that will always reman in our memory such as the images taken on September 11th. If we didn't have access to these images the world would have never known the real magnitude of the situation.




Man Plummeting to his Death from the Twin Towers