On the attempted murder of photography and the actual murder of Alex Pretti
Today, the Washington Post dealt a serious blow to journalism everywhere. By laying off over a third of their staff including ALL of their staff photographers, the message Jeff Bezos and the other members of the billionaire class sent to the rest of the world couldn’t be clearer.
They don’t care.
I’ve photographed two protests for the J&C in the past 6 months, and every time I feel more inspired to use my skills to show what’s really happening. People in Lafayette are marching, they’re mobilizing. Change is coming, despite what the Facebook commenters would have you believe. Someone actually commented th these photos weren’t from outside the Tippecanoe County Courthouse! I sometimes just have to laugh at the sheer stupidity.
I wish I had words to sum up the rage and indignation I feel about this catastrophic misstep in my industry. But hell, what isn’t there to rage about right now?
We the people are but ants under their metaphorical boot. We pay their taxes, we support their businesses, we sell them our attention and our personal data at every turn. We’ve given them everything— all the control they could ever want. So why shouldn’t they simply continue to squish us?
It breaks my heart to see my passion and future career path treated so callously. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t extremely worried about my prospects. Even here in Indiana, the company that owns the Journal & Courier refuses to hire a full-time photographer, despite the last staff photographer leaving almost a year ago. It’s been frustrating on both sides. I know I wish I could be working there full-time, and I know my editors and coworkers do too. News people know how important photo and video are to speaking truth to power.
Which is why, despite the clear precedent the Post is setting, I refuse to give up.
Visual journalism holds a vital place in the telling of the world’s stories. Words and speeches can do much, but very little can conjure such a visceral reaction as professional photographers. If my work helps convince even one other person to see the truth of a situation or change their stance, or even just appreciate the time and effort it takes to make quality journalism, then it would all be worth it.
I’ve been seeing this Orwell quote a lot, especially with the federal administration trying to doctor video and spin false narratives about Alex Pretti’s killing. Trust yourself, trust your own senses. The powers at be are not looking out for you. It’s up to us now to decide what our future looks like.
Images are powerful. People respond to them in ways that can literally shift political regimes. My best example comes from recently, when the photo of Liam Ramos in his wool hat and Spider-Man backpack in ICE agent custody made me sick to my stomach. Having to see that online is horrible and I wish it would go away. Now I imagine what it would be like to live that reality and not watch it, and I don’t know how I could cope.
And I am immensely proud to witness the citizens of Minnesota band together so harmoniously to impede ICE in their cities. It all started from watching Renee Good and Alex Pretti be murdered in the street. Documented with photos and video.
In the past I’ve tried to refrain from inputting my political opinions, since I feel often it does more harm than good. But in the current climate, to be silent is to comply with authoritarians. And I’m DEFINITELY not about that.
If you haven’t been on the train, now’s a grand time to hop on. Go out, make your voice heard, make change wherever possible, keep loving others, and hold on to truth.
Hope is tough to come by—but I’m finding that my best antidote to despair is in action. Let’s enact some change.
