I
don't think it's too far fetched to assume that the main icons of
this second US war in Iraq in 2004, still in process,
will be the amateur digital pictures of the tortures performed on
Iraqui detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad.
In spite of the tens of thousands of pictures produced by professional
photographers during this war, these amateur images are the ones
that I believe will mark this period in history. These will be emblematic
, not only for the abuse performed on the physical integrity of
the humans beings depicted in them, but will also stand in for the
shame many feel for allowing themselves to be swayed in providing
support for this war that indeed was not necessary. The use of systematic
disinformation (remember the weapons of mass destruction?)
and torture will probably become the downfall for this administration.
It
will then have turned out to be that digital cameras became for
the Bush administration what the tape recorder was for the Nixon
White House.
The
images that stand out, at least in my imagination, of the first
war in Iraq, are those that CNN broadcasted live, with night vision
lenses that gave a green cast to the scene, showing how Baghdad
was being bombarded. Back then CNN was still in the news business,
whereas today they appear to be more in the advertising business,
and you can tell that their loyalty is no longer to the news but
to their advertisers whom they try not to alienate much in the style
of Disney, by presenting information that is free of controversy.
The levels of disinformation by the US news media are almost
as appalling as those of the US government.
I participated in a Congress
on Photojournalism in Lima Peru,
last week, and one of the speakers was Cristóbal Bouroncle
the head of Agence France Press (AFP) in Baghdad, who shared with
us some very interesting information about the news business at
his agency.
He
mentioned that today, the accountants are just as important in the
decision making process as the news editors. In other words, decisions
made in the newsroom have to meet with budgetary concerns on an
equal basis. In many ways this makes a lot of sense, as the operation
is after all a business. However, one should also wonder when are
profits the driving decision maker rather than the news, of course
that is something we shall never find out.
He also explained to us that western professional journalists are
hard to come by, in the context of Iraq, because obviously the security
risks are so high. While local photographers are doing a very good
job as they all have access that westerners do not enjoy, among
many other reasons: language and belonging to certain tribal groups.
Cristobal
also noted that they get paid far less than western photojournalists,
which is a big plus with the accountants. And last but not least,
with digital cameras, they are able to send out people new to photography
to take pictures with minimal training, and they come back with
very good imagery. Interestingly enough among other very revealing
bits of information, Cristobal estimated that roughly 50% of the
consumption of AFP pictures sent out over the wires is consumed
these days by internet outlets, and not just by printed news media
any more.
If the most emblematic images from this
war were photographed by amateurs, if agencies are able
to send out people to take photographs who have never taken pictures,
but have access to certain places, and if we are into a tidal wave
of imagery coming in from all the digital cameras that are flooding
the world; I am sure that traditional photojournalism as is being
taught today in schools all over the world, better have a second
look at reality and be prepared to tell their students that things
are no longer how they used to be and therefore need to adjust their
expectations.
The
same thing might also prove to be of interest to all those active
photojournalists today, who are seeing their bread and butter documentary
images being displaced by pictures of celebrities and movie stars.
Pedro Meyer
Coyoacan, May 23, 2004
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