Picture of severed head

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Is it wrong to have a picture of a suicide bomber's severed head on the front page of your site? Reuters has a repulsive photo being distributed of this guy's entire head lying on the pavement. US media typically don't run this stuff. I've heard for instance that the US media showed fewer images of 9/11 casualties than foreign media. SO. Is it better to show people what carnage really is, or does that further desensitize all of us?

I thought about posting the image, but I decided I just can't. However, the link is http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=topnews&StoryID=728685# Oh, don't be content with thumbnail, blow it up!

― Hunter, Thursday, 21 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I usually argue that it is important for people to see the reality of violence, how unglamorous it is. But I sometimes think that when someone like Drudge puts this up (it's on his front page), it's just sensationalistic BS. Maybe that'll teach me for hitting his site.

― Hunter, Thursday, 21 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You can't really see that it's even there on the thumbnail. Amazing, really, both that bodies sever so cleanly, and that it looks almost fake and surrealistic ... no doubt partially the result of infinite Hollywood beheadings I've seen over the years.

― Dare, Thursday, 21 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Maybe you're right, it's probably not as disgusting as a good movie. *drums fingers* Maybe we're desensitized. I want a hamburger. *cow lows*

― Hunter, Thursday, 21 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Do horrific pictures really change minds? Some of the most effective photojournalism shows emotion rather than gore.

I've always felt uncomfortable with images of the dead being front page splash material, partly out of respect, and partly because I wonder about the motivation behind their use. "Great, shots of junkie girl dead on the floor! Parents have given consent, stick them front page and we'll be the subject of every radio phone in for the next week."

Shock value is a useful tool in provoking opinion and I'm not advocating cencorship, but mass media is so disposable. This was a person and then the next day their story's out with the junk mail and that pepper that went mouldy in the bottom of the fridge.

― Anna, Thursday, 21 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Well, Drudge took the image down, but Reuters still has it on homepage.

The headline on MSN is "Jerusalem Rocked By Suicide Blast". I hear Suicide Blast are the next Strokes.

― Hunter, Thursday, 21 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

subtitled Getting Ahead with HEzbollah

― Queen G, Thursday, 21 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I sicken myself. I favorite-placed it. Eek.

― Lindsey B, Thursday, 21 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

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