Columbia Journalism Review asks a good question in the headline of a recent article: Do we really need to see photos of mass shootings?
The question is being raised after the fatal shooting of 19 elementary school students and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas. Some people are wondering if the American public should see images from such slaughters to fully comprehend the damage done.
The article quotes a former newspaper editor who pointed to the impact of the 1955 images of Emmett Till’s brutalized body in Jet magazine and the 2020 cellphone video showing the murder of George Floyd.
Others, however, raise ethical concerns, and some say it might convince gun owners that they need to keep their weapons to remain safe.
Shop Talk is a weekly panel discussion about journalism issues. This week’s program featured Will Buss, who teaches in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University and advises the student editors at the Western Courier, the students at student radio station The Dog, and the WIU chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists; Rajvee Subramanian, who teaches in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University; and TSPR News Director Rich Egger.
