Blacks loot, non-blacks "find"...

[Mickey's Monkey]

Read the captions of these two pictures……………

http://news.yahoo.com/photo/050830/photos_ts_afp/050830071810_shxwaoma_photo1

http://news.yahoo.com/photo/050830/480/ladm10208301530

The African American is said to be looting. The other person is said to be "finding".

There are only three verbs that should be used in captions like these, regardless of the shade of the subject’s skin: “…after buying food…” or “…after being given food…” or “…after looting food….” Finding implies they did not buy it and were not given it – and whether or not you are starving, if you take something from a store without paying for it and without the permission of the rightful owners of that food, you are stealing. If you’re doing it under conditions like we have in New Orleans, you are looting.

I’ll grant this one concession: it is possible to read the caption to mean that this couple “found” the bread and soda – which came from a local store – floating down the street. I would characterize a situation like that as “finding” as opposed to looting.

 

[LoraJ]

i wonder how many people carrying bags of food and stuff were captioned as "looting" when it may in fact be stuff they salvaged from their own homes.

 

[poohandwendy]

I think the woman in the first photo looks like she is african american. I could be wrong.

I think we have no idea of why they were captioned the way they were, maybe the news crews actually saw the couple find food and saw the other guy take food? I don't know. Without more information, it is hard to judge.

 

[Ted and Holly]

The photos came from two different photographers from two different photo services. The photos came from the services with the captions attached.

This just shows that different words were used, not different standards.

EDIT: I know, I posted the same two photos and subsequently looked deeper into the circumstances.

Ted

 

[Geoff_M]

Mickey's Monkey,

I am a semi-professional photographer and am the member of an on-line subscription photo community. Another member of that community is Chris Graythen, the shooter that took the "finding" photo. This subject came up on the board of the photo site. Chris, taking a break from the shooting offered this up in response:

I don't belive how much ____ I'm getting from this. First of all, I hope you excuse me, but I'm completely at the end of my rope. You have no Idea how stressful this whole disaster is, espically since I have not seen my wife in 5 days, and my parents and grand parents HAVE LOST THIER HOMES. As of right now, we have almost NOTHING.

Please stop emailing me on this one.

I wrote the caption about the two people who 'found' the items. I believed in my opinion, that they did simply find them, and not 'looted' them in the definition of the word. The people were swimming in chest deep water, and there were other people in the water, both white and black. I looked for the best picture. there were a million items floating in the water - we were right near a grocery store that had 5+ feet of water in it. it had no doors. the water was moving, and the stuff was floating away. These people were not ducking into a store and busting down windows to get electronics. They picked up bread and cokes that were floating in the water. They would have floated away anyhow. I wouldn't have taken in, because I wouldn't eat anything that's been in that water. But I'm not homeless. (well, technically I am right now.)


I'm not trying to be politically correct. I'm don't care if you are white or black. I spent 4 hours on a boat in my parent's neighborhood shooting, and rescuing people, both black and white, dog and cat. I am a journalist, and a human being - and I see all as such. If you don't belive me, you can look on Getty today and see the images I shot of real looting today, and you will see white and black people, and they were DEFINATELY looting. And I put that in the caption.

Please, please don't argue symantics over this one. This is EXTREMELY serious, and I can't even begin to convey to those not here what it is like. Please, please, be more concerned on how this affects all of us (watch gas prices) and please, please help out if you can.

This is my home, I will hopefully always be here. I know that my friends in this business across the gulf south are going through the exact same thing - and I am with them, and will do whatever I can to help. But please, please don't email me any more about this caption issue.

And please, don't yell at me about spelling and grammar. Im eating my first real meal (a sandwich) right now in 3 days.

When this calms down, I will be more than willing to answer any questions, just ask.


Thank you all -
-Chris Graythen

So chill, people...

 

[Ted and Holly]

Despite the terrible subject-matter, Chris took some compelling shots.

Look here.

 

[MamaLema]

Oh boy. Conversationalist is going to have a field day with that

 

[grlpwrd]

That makes sense.

What doesn't make sense is a report on how a photographer aimed to take a photo of a deceased person on a wheelchair. Apparently, some bystanders were appalled and covered the person with a sheet or something.

Are journalists being opportunistic, too?

 

[chyam]

Oh boy. Conversationalist is going to have a field day with that

I thought the same thing! and I wouldn't doubt that Questioner will get in on it too....................I'll get the pot out so I they will have to do is stir!

 

[HayGan]

That makes sense.

What doesn't make sense is a report on how a photographer aimed to take a photo of a deceased person on a wheelchair. Apparently, some bystanders were appalled and covered the person with a sheet or something.

Are journalists being opportunistic, too?

If they weren't taking photos of everything, then some people would be screaming that they are trying to cover up the true magnitude of death and destruction in the area. I think that it is the only way that the rest of us not living thru this horrible tragedy can even begin to understand what is going on (not that most of us can even begin to understand!)

Darned if you do - darned if you don't!

 

[Geoff_M]

Despite the terrible subject-matter, Chris took some compelling shots.

Look here.

Only some of those images are Chris's. Look at the caption for the photo credit. Chris is a "stringer" for AFP and lives in NO. A "stringer" is is someone who doesn't work directly for the agency and instead is paid on an assignment by assignment basis to cover an event. If the caption says "Staff" then it's a AFP/Getty staff shooter's image.

 

[Ted and Holly]

Only some of those images are Chris's. Look at the caption for the photo credit. Chris is a "stringer" for AFP and lives in NO. A "stringer" is is someone who doesn't work directly for the agency and instead is paid on an assignment by assignment basis to cover an event. If the caption says "Staff" then it's a AFP/Getty staff shooter's image.

Yeah, I don't know why me search messed up. It was supposed to be only Chris' stuff.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Darned if you do - darned if you don't!

Exactly.

 

[snoopy]

Despite the terrible subject-matter, Chris took some compelling shots.

Look here.

Wow....those are really heartbreaking to look at but compelling just the same.

 

[poohandwendy]

Thaniks for the clarification Geoff. Just goes to show that we should not be casting stones at this point. Even the info we are receiving right now (in the midst of chaos)is sometimes not showing the whole picture.

 

[Geoff_M]

poohandwendy,

Thanks... You know, this week I've come to the conclusion that the Internet the biggest collection of backseat drivers and conclusion jumpers I've ever witnessed.

I think I need to get away from the computer for a while.

 

[Mickey's Monkey]

Mickey's Monkey,

I am a semi-professional photographer and am the member of an on-line subscription photo community. Another member of that community is Chris Graythen, the shooter that took the "finding" photo. This subject came up on the board of the photo site. Chris, taking a break from the shooting offered this up in response: So chill, people...

Still doesn't explain why one says looting and one says finding. I think both of them were found, frankly. I'll never understand news organizations motives.

 

[Ted and Holly]

Still doesn't explain why one says looting and one says finding. I think both of them were found, frankly. I'll never understand news organizations motives.

As I found out, you can not compare these two as they are from different news sources. One place calls it looting, the other called it finding. It depends on how you look at it. And please read the quote that Geoff posted. It explains (as much as I would expect from anyone) the words used.

Ted

 

[CheshireVal]

Still doesn't explain why one says looting and one says finding. I think both of them were found, frankly. I'll never understand news organizations motives.

Because they weren't written by the same person?

 

[Geoff_M]

Still doesn't explain why one says looting and one says finding. ... I'll never understand news organizations motives.

Being that I string for Reuters on ocassion, I can tell you that the photographer either wrote the caption themselves (like Chris did in the AFP/Getty image), or provided enough info to a local photo editor so they can write the caption. Either way, it came from the photographer's hands or lips. If you read Chris's post you'll get a sense of the hectic work environment he's in. I doubt is any different for the AP, Reuters, of local shooters. I've worked time critical new events where the work flow runs a mile a minute. Editors are downloading CF cards, pulling up images, selecting, cropping, captioning images, and transmitting them as fast as they can. "First on the wire" often wins the day in the news agency world. You don't have time to think "what's my motive?" There's not comittee meetings that comes up with captions or asks "What our motives?"

I think both of them were found, frankly.

Frankly, I don't think you were there to see what the photographer saw before they took the frame. Frankly, I don't think you know what's taking place outside of the view of the camera. Frankly, I don't think you've worked in a deadline press operation. Frankly, I don't see any evidence to support your belief.