This document discusses the impact of images from conflicts and disasters in broadcast news. It notes that while some images rally support for causes like World War II, many Americans find death disturbing to see. A famous photo from the Vietnam War brought home its horrors by showing a young girl burned by napalm. The document also references impactful images from events like the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina, while acknowledging that some newspapers chose not to publish the most graphic photos. It concludes by noting that war is glorified from a distance but seeing its true consequences, like the stress of taking a life, can provide needed perspective.

1. War, Conflict and Disaster in
Broadcast News
June 8, 1972
Phan Thị Kim Phúc
• Brought home the horrors of the
Vietnam war

2. Controversy
• In the United States people don’t want to see death.
• We’re much more squeamish than other parts of the world
Phuc’s photo

3. PHOTOS ARE POWERFUL
• USED FOR EMOTION
o Jfk
o World Trade Center
• Oklahoma City

4. USED TO RALLY THE
NATION
Gave Americans the resolve to enter
World War II

5. Haiti, 2010
Some American newspapers would not show these photos

6. Jumping from the World Trade Center
One of many people who jumped from the Twin Towers rather than
await their fate.

7. Ethel Freeman, 91
Freeman died at the New Orleans Convention Center, September 1, 2005

8. WAR
Everyone wants to wage it, but
no one wants to see its
consequences. - politifakes

9. We talked last week about how
war has been sanitized
• Many people like all the military
toys
• We like to glorify our troops
•
As we should
But it’s easy to glorify war from 7,000 miles away or 30thousand feet
• “Bird Dog, I killed a man today. He wasn't even a
soldier; he just kept coming. I couldn't stop him. I
didn't want to do it. I never had to do anything
like that before in my life. “

10. Nintendo War
• U.S. Air Force Video
• Marines
o Warning - Graphic Language

11. The Bush Administration stopped the practice of allowing photographs of
coffins returning from Iraq.

12. Bosnia, 1995
1995 Srebrenica massacre