Editor,
No doubt the front-page picture on Wednesday shocked everyone. Afghan rebels shooting a Taliban soldier. It made people look closer to put the facts together.
A man's pants are down around his ankles, soaked in blood. More blood runs down the man's thighs. I guess that means he was castrated. And where are his fingers? For that matter, where are his hands?
I started crying in class when I looked closer at this image. I guess I'm not desensitized enough to handle something this graphic and true.
I wish to never see a human being this disrespected upon his death, even more so by the Lobo printing his wounded and naked picture. I don't think even the most vile of men should be treated this way. But that's beside the point.
Why would the Lobo run something like this?
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Well, it's the sad reality of war. It's true. And isn't that what journalism is all about?
Being truthful and objective?
Yes. But in the name of objectivity and reality, newspapers show off blood and guts. And the Lobo tops them all off with their picture. How hard did you have to search to find something this gruesome? I've got to admit it's effective.
It was so effective that the second half of my class was spent talking about this picture. But something happened when you guys printed this picture. A whole string of dehumanizing acts began and ended triumphantly with your choice to run it.
The Afghan rebels are obviously torturing Taliban soldiers. That's the first act of dehumanization. Then, a photographer is there, silently and objectively snapping pictures. Why didn't photographer Tyler Hicks do something about this torture?
Wow, he's got great stuff. Develop them as fast as possible and post it on the Internet. Next, someone at the Lobo finds this picture after searching for the right image to match the AP wire. Were you guys proud to find this? Were you happy that everyone would be reading the paper today because of the shock value in this photo? Or did you grieve that a man was being treated this way?
Did anyone ever think about the honor of this man? I hope revenge wasn't in your head as you chose to print this. Or maybe no one noticed. Maybe no one cared as whoever chose to put this in the Lobo. Obviously, none of you put yourself in this man's shoes or it wouldn't have been printed.
If I was looking at our culture from the outside, and saw the Daily Lobo, I would think that our culture is disgusting. I hope the world doesn't judge us by what they see in our newspapers. It seems that journalists must lose their tact and compassion to be objective. That's wrong. Journalists are humans just like their subjects.
I'm sorry guys, but I didn't want to see a man being tortured like this. I can read about it. I'll never understand how one of you at the Lobo decided it was OK to dishonor this man. It was irresponsible, without respect for human life.
Truthfully, I don't want to be desensitized. In fact, I'm going to keep on crying when I see humans with their sexual organs cut off.
As an aspiring journalist myself, I thinks it's ridiculous to hide behind any profession and lose your humanity. You guys can do a good job without impressing us with sensational photos.
Kristie Gloetzner
UNM student
