Springcurl

See, I think it's taking pictures of a guy about to die. Apparently he snapped something like 30 pictures and claimed he was doing it to warn the driver.

Not that I think it was a GREAT decision to post the picture. I just feel like the photographer's a LITTLE more dispicable.

I've heard that if you're pushed off the tracks you should run down the tracks since the train is going to stop at the platform. But I'm sure my first instinct would be to try to pull myself up.

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LAwoman

I agree with you. I think it's the photographer. Saw him on the Today show this morning trying to justify what he did (or rather, did not) do. I predict this will haunt him the rest of his life.

Saria

If it happened so fast that you couldn't do anything, then it also happened too fast for you to take a picture.
It's far more despicable. I take pictures of a lot of things, and the last thing on my mind if I saw someone on the train tracks would be to pull out a camera.

I don't see how one could run since the train goes pretty far up. You'd have to be lightning fast and lucky to fall in the right place.
It's scary, but the way people have survived it is getting in the space between the train and the tracks. The thought of having a train running over you is terrifying, though.

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Fifi.G

^^ 100% agreed.

That is horrible, and shows complete neglect toward another persons life. It should haunt him. It would be/feel dreadful to be in that situation and see someone pull out a camera.

That was the one thing that stuck in my mind during Princess Diana's wreck/death. I was awake and caught the live and breaking coverage that night. I could not fathom what it must have been like to be pinned in a vehicle, in the process of death, and watching a group of people continuously take your picture. Sickening!

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curlyarca

Taking the photo is worse. Did this fool profit from it? Someone please. Sue him for something. Despicable is the word.

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The New Black

Yep, the photog is worse. He was there and could've done something. But the editor who decided to publish the photo couldn't have done anything to help the victim.

And if the photog really wanted to help why didn't he take a picture of the person who pushed the guy?! I guess the creep ran.

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poisonivy

He could have tried. It's sad

Lotsawaves

I think they both were insensitive and disrespectful, but I say the photographer was the worse. It's like he didn't feel he could do anything to help the man, so he decided to just take a pic. He is a photographer, after all. Disgusting.....

missbanjo

The photog for sure, disgusting. The publisher to a degree, since he said yes to publish it then others take that as an ok to take photos like this as well.

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LAwoman

Also, the photog's saying that he took the picture in an attempt to alert the train driver of the man's presence on the tracks and get him to slow down by repeatedly flashing his camera ... but at the same time he claims
"I had no idea what I was shooting." Ok then.

Sounds like he's talking out of both sides of his mouth in a CYA attempt.

spiderlashes5000

How long from the time the guy fell (was pushed) and the train ran over him? The platform is like less than three feet high. Unless he was hurt, or the train was right on his ass, why couldn't he pull himself up on the platform? (Kids were always jumping down there and messing around and then jumping back up when they heard the next train coming...but that was more on the B,D,Q, etc and not the 2,3,5 IRT.) I guess I'm not understanding how much time there was bc it takes a minute to shoot 30 pics.

To me it seems it would be safer and more feasible for the man who was pushed to try to pull himself back up, rather than have other people leaning over or, God forbid, trying to jump down there, too.

There was a spate of these attacks in the late 70s and 80s in NYC and I grew up in fear of that. Always told to stand back from the edge. And of course, avoid the third rail at all costs!

I cannot imagine ever having the presence of mind to take a picture of something like that, tho! I'd be screaming and trying to throw objects at the train (if it was close) or on the tracks.

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Tinfoilhat

I guess publishing it considering it's a dumb move and leaves your paper open to law suits from the mans family.

I wouldn't have helped him up, I don't care how close I was. Seeing how close that train was to him would have be frozen with fear of being pulled down, or having my upper body smashed by the train as well. Not risking my life for some stranger unless it's an innocent child.

Saria

That's some major mind control you've got that you'd be too frozen by fear to help a stranger, but you'd be able to escape the paralysis for an innocent child!

I really don't see how it's relevant to bring up how someone who was pushed to his death could have saved himself when discussing the 100% inexcusable act of photographing such a horrifying moment.

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Narnia

Well that statement makes sense though... "I was flashing over and over to get the trains attention, I didn't know what I was shooting I was just flashing."

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Tinfoilhat

I guess so *shrugs* lol it'd be alot easier for me to grab a child and lift them out than be dragged down by a fully grown adult though. People tend to be more willing to help children than adults it's not shocking, it's almost a natural reaction.


Also there are much worse photographs released and sold and published from all parts of the world showing violent acts, beheaded people, etc. I don't see anyone crying about those photos though since theses "reporters" are somehow different, which they really aren't honestly.

spiderlashes5000

I'm just trying to understand how much time elapsed and what exactly happened. Normally, people get shoved w/in a second or two of impact and can't be helped or help themselves. But it seems there was more time here? I'm just trying to understand.

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curlypearl

This whole thing is sickening from start to finish. Shame on both of them. How can the photographer sleep nights? What lousy excuses for humans they both are.

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NYCurlyGirly

I personally think the criminal who pushed the man is more at fault than the paper or photographer...sorry, I just don't think it's fair to vilify a man for doing the only thing that crossed his mind at the time, which was flashing his camera. Would it have been better of he jumped in and died too? Yes, maybe he could have done something but that is easy to speculate over after the fact. The only wrongdoer here is the murderer himself.

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Saria

Is anyone here saying the photographer is responsible for the man's death? No, we're saying the photographer is responsible for doing something morally/ethically reprehensible. If you think that seeing someone about to die is reason to go "ooh, photo op", then I hope you never encounter people like yourself should you ever be in a life-threatening situation.

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wavycurly40+

I think it's absolutely pointless to speculate about what we would do in the situation, whether or not we'd try to save the person, etc. What good does this do? Just judging others when we have no idea how we'd respond.

To answer the actual question that was originally asked: I think that publishing the photos was in extremely poor taste. Unlike the photographer, the publisher had time to actually think about it and make a careful decision. I don't believe the photo served any purpose as far as journalistic documentation goes -- it was just sensationalism. But it's never easy to decide when a photo has crossed that line. Some truly horrifying news photos have served some greater purpose.

And if I'm being honest, I am sickened by the idea of taking photos when something horrible is happening. It seems cruel to me, especially to any friends or loved ones who have to see the photos later. So yeah, the photographer's actions make me very uncomfortable. But I also know that is what these guys do. And I don't know with any certainty that he wasn't trying to alert the driver, any more than I know with any certainty that he could have helped.