Photojournalism in War

• Many citizens of a nation engaged in war are often not directly affected by war – especially if the war is being fought overseas.

• These days, there is always new information about the war in Iraq on the news. For example, they tell us that in February, there were 29 documented U.S. deaths. As insensitive as it may sound, the death toll can seem like just a number when war feels far removed from our lives.

• Photojournalism can effectively bring home the full depth of the horrors and tragedy of war. These photos are powerful means to disillusion people as to the realities of war and provoke action.

"Three dead Americans lie on the beach at Buna“ –Life magazine

Photo by George Strock, (Sept. 20, 1943)

This picture was the first photo of dead American soldiers ever released. The American public was shocked in the face of the grim realities of World War II, but ultimately became more motivated than ever to win the war.

“German civilians made to face their nation's crimes, Buchenwald 1945” –Life magazine

Photo by Margaret Bourke-White

Upon arrival at one death camp, General Patton became so enraged that he had 2000 German civilians brought in to witness the horrors of what their leaders had done with their own eyes.

“Eisenhower with other US Officers at Dachau after liberation”

A 14 year-old victim of the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

"Street Clashes Go On in Vietnam, Foe Still Holds Parts of Cities; Johnson Pledges ‘Never to Yield’” –The New York Times

“Vietnam Napalm, Trang Bang” –Time magazine

This photo captures the moment just before the execution of a man suspected of being a Viet Cong soldier by a South Vietnamese General.

This photo depicts a scene after a South Vietnamese fighter plane opened fire on civilians and its own soldiers. The group is captured struggling to escape the relentless cloud of burning napalm which is so unbearable that the girl in the center has torn off all her clothes.

These two iconic images represent not only the experience of war, but also the power that photos can have. These pictures reinforced the growing sense of futility in Americans of continuing to fight in the Vietnam War and played a part in turning public opinion against the war. They became prominent rallying points around which anti-war protesters gathered.

Photo by Huynh Cong "Nick" Ut, (June 8, 1972)

Photo by Eddie Adams, (1968)

"The Unknown Rebel" Photo by Jeff Widener, (1989)

This photo depicts a lone protester who stopped the advance of tanks on Tiananmen Square for half an hour.

-Seattle Times

Photo by Tami Silicio (April 7, 2004)

This photo created an uproar when released, even forcing Pentagon to temporarily reverse its policy of pretending that there were no war dead by not releasing photos of the war dead. (http://keithwj.typepad.com/commentary/2004/04/disruptive_tech.html)

The crew carefully loads coffins of the dead U.S. military personnel killed in Iraq onto a cargo plane to be taken back to America.

• Photographs are able to capture and relate the immediate truth of the inhumanities of wartime in a way that mere words cannot. It is because of this innate property that the photographs shown above were able to provoke such strong responses – of disbelief, horror, and awe – which in turn generated much needed action.

• Photojournalism is one of the most significant mediums with which to document war. It has the potential to make the war directly applicable to everyone. Thus, photojournalism plays a very important role in the way the public not directly engaged in war activities experiences war.

Slide 2: http://www.luminous-lint.com/__sw.php?action=ACT_SING_ TH&p1=13

Slide 3: http://www.uiowa.edu/policult/politicalphotos/holocaust2.html

Slide 4: http://isurvived.org/TOC-I.html

Slide 5: www.mctv.ne.jp/~bigapple/

Slides 6 & 7: www.wellesley.edu/.../ThreeImages/brady2.html

Slide 9: www.frontlineclub.com/club_exhibitions.php?id=1

Slide 10: ttp://www.newmediamusings.com/blog/2004/04/woman_loses_job. html

Photo Sources