The Photographs of Frederick Sommer

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Photographs of Frederick Sommer DATE: August 24, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE GETTY EXHIBITION SURVEYS RISE OF MODERN PHOTOJOURNALISM WITH NEWS-MAKING IMAGES FROM THE 1940s TO THE 1970s Pictures for the Press At the Getty Center, September 20, 2005–January 22, 2006 LOS ANGELES—Many of the news-making events of the 20th century were documented by photojournalists, whose images helped to tell the stories of events that shaped our world. Pictures for the Press, at the Getty Center, September 20, 2005–January 22, 2006, presents a selection of memorable news images from the 1940s to the 1970s, depicting war, politics, and the civil rights struggle. Featuring many recent acquisitions, the exhibition examines the role of photojournalists in the recording of history and the way pictures are used by the press for making news. Newly acquired works by well-known press photographers like Robert Capa, Larry Burrows, and Charles Moore are included alongside pictures by lesser-known and, in some cases, unidentified makers. Pictures for the Press will feature about 35 photographs drawn from the Getty Museum’s growing collection of photojournalism. Acquired from a variety of sources, including the archives of The New York Times, many of the works on view were originally reproduced in newspapers or magazines and bear the stamps, captions, airbrushing, and worn quality typical of frequently handled archival documents. They include the actual prints used by the New York Times to reproduce images of the atomic explosion over Nagasaki and of the evacuation of Saigon 30 years ago. The exhibition also includes iconic images of the D-Day invasion of Omaha Beach during -more- Page 2 World War II, the assassinations of President Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald, and civil rights demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama during the 1960s. Covering three decades, the works in the exhibition come from a period when the printed page, rather than the television, dominated as the leading source of news for a majority of Americans. In 1935, the Associated Press launched their Wirephoto network, which accelerated the transmission of images over telephone lines, allowing them to be shared and seen around the world with greater ease than ever before. By 1940, photographs occupied roughly one third of news space in the average metropolitan newspaper. During World War II, Robert Capa, who insisted on being as close to his battle subjects as possible, accompanied the first wave of American troops who landed on the beach in Normandy in the D-Day invasion. His powerful pictures, blurred and grainy, captured the events from the soldiers’ point of view. Capa’s approach served as a model for later photojournalists willing to risk their lives to capture news pictures with the immediacy of an experience. Larry Burrows, who, like Capa, died on the job, carried Capa’s tradition into the 1960s with his images of the Vietnam War. He was among the first photojournalists to use color film to accentuate his bold images. Back in the U.S., photojournalists were busy capturing scenes of domestic conflict. Charles Moore’s pictures of attack dogs lunging toward Americans peacefully protesting segregation in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963 were widely published by the press and helped to further the national dialogue on the topic of racial inequality. Due to the nature of news photography, some of the most famous images employed accident and chance as a powerful and creative force. On November 24, 1963, Dallas Times Herald photographer Robert Jackson was on hand for the prison transfer of accused Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald but ended up capturing a Pulitzer prize-winning image of Oswald’s grimace as Jack Ruby’s bullet penetrated his body. Also on view is a black-and-white still image copied from a 26-second color film shot on November 22, 1963, that is the only complete visual record of President Kennedy’s assassination. This now iconic film, recorded by Abraham Zapruder, is one of the most famous visual documents of the 20th century. A bystander among the -more- Page 3 crowd, Zapruder was making a personal film of the president and was perfectly positioned with his camera at the ready when history was being made. Pictures for the Press complements Scene of the Crime: Photo by Weegee, which runs concurrently, offering a focused look at the work of one photojournalist— the crime photographer Arthur Fellig, better known as Weegee the Famous. Both Pictures for the Press and Scene of the Crime are part of American Visions, a sequence of four exhibitions featuring works by some of the country’s preeminent practitioners drawn from the Getty Museum’s renowned photographs collection. The series began in May with two exhibitions featuring the visionary work of Paul Strand and Frederick Sommer. Together, the exhibitions offer insight into 75 years of photographic innovation, exploring the medium’s versatility as a new creative language used to document reality and as a means for artistic expression. RELATED EVENTS All events are free and are held in the Harold M. Williams Auditorium, unless otherwise noted. Seating reservations are required. For reservations and information, please call (310) 440-7300 or visit www.getty.edu. CURATOR’S GALLERY TALK Brett Abbott, Assistant Curator, Department of Photographs, the J. Paul Getty Museum, leads a gallery talk on the exhibition. Meet under the stairs in the Museum Entrance Hall. Thursday, October 27, 2:30 p.m. Museum galleries FAMILY FESTIVAL Explore the 1930s and 1940s through the lens of Weegee. Swing to the sounds of jazz, blues, and big band and hear storytellers re-create the radio craze. Hands-on workshops let you edit your own newspaper or think like a photojournalist. Sunday, October 2, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Museum Courtyard LECTURE On Being a Press Photographer Freelance photojournalist James Nachtwey reflects on his career. For three decades he has devoted himself to documenting wars, conflicts, and critical social issues around the world. Sunday, November 20, 4:00–5:00 p.m. -more- Page 4 PANEL DISCUSSION Making News: A Discussion of Photojournalism Moderator: Michael Parks, Director, School of Journalism, USC Annenberg School of Communications; Philip Gefter, New York Times picture editor; David Lubin, Professor, Wake Forest University; and Molly Bingham, freelance journalist and photographer. Thursday, December 8, 7:00 p.m. POINT-OF-VIEW TALKS Talks are held at 4:30 and 6:00 p.m. in the Museum galleries. Sign up at the Museum Information Desk beginning at 3:00 p.m. Based in Saigon for almost four years, award-winning photographer Barbara Gluck put a human face on the Vietnam War by recording the pain of civilian life on the periphery of war. Join her in a discussion about the exhibition. Friday, October 7 Luis Sinco, the award-winning Los Angeles Times photographer, who covered the assault on Falluja as an embedded journalist with troops from the Eighth Marine Regiment, leads a gallery discussion on the exhibition. Friday, January 6 RELATED EXHIBITION Scene of the Crime: Photo by Weegee Comprising approximately seventy photographs from the Getty Museum’s permanent collection, this exhibition surveys the news photography of Arthur Fellig (American, born Austria, 1899–1968), who became known in the 1930s as Weegee. Named after the Ouija board game, he seemed to materialize wherever news was happening, covering all aspects of Manhattan nightlife and vividly documenting the police beat. Spanning two decades of Weegee’s freelance career, the exhibition is introduced with pictures by the pioneering Los Angeles news photographer George Watson and his nephew Coy Watson Jr. RELATED PUBLICATION Publications are available in the Getty Museum Store, by calling (800) 223-3431 or (310) 440-7059, or online at www.getty.edu. In Focus: Weegee, Photographs from the J. Paul Getty Museum By Judith Keller This volume presents approximately fifty of the ninety-five Weegee prints in the Getty Museum’s collection, surveying the photographer’s probing vision of life in New York—from Harlem to Times Square, Greenwich Village, and the Bowery. (Paper: $17.50) -more- Page 5 SEMINAR Like a New Comet: The New York Evening Graphic and the Tabloid Avant-Garde Luc Sante, general editor of the Library of Larceny, author of Evidence, Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York, and other works on crime photographs, and a teacher of the history of photography at Bard College, discusses the New York Evening Graphic, an influential tabloid published from 1924 to 1932. Wednesday, September 28, 3:00–5:00 p.m. Museum Lecture Hall UPCOMING PHOTOGRAPHS EXHIBITION Robert Adams: Two Landscapes February 7–May 28, 2006 Robert Adams (American, born 1937) has photographed the landscape of the American West for more than forty years, particularly in California and Colorado. His vision is inspired by both his joy in its inherent natural beauty and his dismay at its exploitation and degradation. This exhibition features about seventy photographs drawn from the Getty Museum’s holdings of more than one hundred prints by Adams. # # # Note to editors: Images available on request. MEDIA CONTACT: Beth Brett Getty Communications Dept. 310-440-6473 [email protected] The J. Paul Getty Trust is an international cultural and philanthropic institution devoted to the visual arts that includes the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Research Institute, the Getty Conservation Institute, and the Getty Foundation. The J. Paul Getty Trust and its programs are based at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. Visiting the Getty Center: The Getty Center is open Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. It is closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission to the Getty Center is always free.
Recommended publications
  • The Global Visual Memory a Study of the Recognition and Interpretation of Iconic and Historical Photographs
    The Global Visual Memory A Study of the Recognition and Interpretation of Iconic and Historical Photographs Het Mondiaal Visueel Geheugen Een studie naar de herkenning en interpretatie van iconische en historische foto’s (met een samenvatting in het Nederlands) Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit Utrecht op gezag van de rector magnificus, prof.dr. H.R.B.M. Kummeling, ingevolge het besluit van het college voor promoties in het openbaar te verdedigen op woensdag 19 juni 2019 des middags te 2.30 uur door Rutger van der Hoeven geboren op 4 juni 1974 te Amsterdam Promotor: Prof. dr. J. Van Eijnatten Table of Contents Abstract 2 Preface 3 Introduction 5 Objectives 8 Visual History 9 Collective Memory 13 Photographs as vehicles of cultural memory 18 Dissertation structure 19 Chapter 1. History, Memory and Photography 21 1.1 Starting Points: Problems in Academic Literature on History, Memory and Photography 21 1.2 The Memory Function of Historical Photographs 28 1.3 Iconic Photographs 35 Chapter 2. The Global Visual Memory: An International Survey 50 2.1 Research Objectives 50 2.2 Selection 53 2.3 Survey Questions 57 2.4 The Photographs 59 Chapter 3. The Global Visual Memory Survey: A Quantitative Analysis 101 3.1 The Dataset 101 3.2 The Global Visual Memory: A Proven Reality 105 3.3 The Recognition of Iconic and Historical Photographs: General Conclusions 110 3.4 Conclusions About Age, Nationality, and Other Demographic Factors 119 3.5 Emotional Impact of Iconic and Historical Photographs 131 3.6 Rating the Importance of Iconic and Historical Photographs 140 3.7 Combined statistics 145 Chapter 4.
    [Show full text]
  • The Legacy of American Photojournalism in Ken Burns's
    Interfaces Image Texte Language 41 | 2019 Images / Memories The Legacy of American Photojournalism in Ken Burns’s Vietnam War Documentary Series Camille Rouquet Electronic version URL: http://journals.openedition.org/interfaces/647 DOI: 10.4000/interfaces.647 ISSN: 2647-6754 Publisher: Université de Bourgogne, Université de Paris, College of the Holy Cross Printed version Date of publication: 21 June 2019 Number of pages: 65-83 ISSN: 1164-6225 Electronic reference Camille Rouquet, “The Legacy of American Photojournalism in Ken Burns’s Vietnam War Documentary Series”, Interfaces [Online], 41 | 2019, Online since 21 June 2019, connection on 07 January 2021. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/interfaces/647 ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/interfaces.647 Les contenus de la revue Interfaces sont mis à disposition selon les termes de la Licence Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. THE LEGACY OF AMERICAN PHOTOJOURNALISM IN KEN BURNS’S VIETNAM WAR DOCUMENTARY SERIES Camille Rouquet LARCA/Paris Sciences et Lettres In his review of The Vietnam War, the 18-hour-long documentary series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick released in September 2017, New York Times television critic James Poniewozik wrote: “The Vietnam War” is not Mr. Burns’s most innovative film. Since the war was waged in the TV era, the filmmakers rely less exclusively on the trademark “Ken Burns effect” pans over still images. Since Vietnam was the “living-room war,” played out on the nightly news, this documentary doesn’t show us the fighting with new eyes, the way “The War” did with its unearthed archival World War II footage.
    [Show full text]
  • Newsletter Still Doesn't Have Any Reporting on Direct Queries and Submissions To: Recent Developments in U.S
    N ewsletter NoVEMbER, 1991 VolUME 5 NuMbER 5 SpEciAl JournaL Issue In This Issue................................................................ 2 The Speed of DAnksess ancI "CrazecJ V ets on tHe oorstep rama e o s e PublJshER's S tatement, by Ka U TaL .............................5 D D ," by DAvId J. D R ...............40 REMF Books, by DAvid WHLs o n .............................. 45 A nnouncements, Notices, & Re p o r t s ......................... 4 eter C ortez In DarIen, by ALan FarreU ........................... 22 PoETRy, by P D ssy............................................4 4 FIctIon: Hie Romance of Vietnam, VoIces fROM tHe Past: TTie SearcTi foR Hanoi HannaK by RENNy ChRlsTophER...................................... 24 by Don NortTi ...................................................44 A FiREbAlL In tBe Nlqlrr, by WHUam M. KiNq...........25 H ollyw ood CoNfidENTlAl: 1, b y FREd GARdNER........ 50 Topics foR VJetnamese-U.S. C ooperation, PoETRy, by DennIs FRiTziNqER................................... 57 by Tran Qoock VuoNq....................................... 27 Ths A ll CWnese M ercenary BAskETbAll Tournament, Science FIctIon: This TIme It's War, by PauI OLim a r t ................................................ 57 by ALascIaIr SpARk.............................................29 (Not Much of a) War Story, by Norman LanquIst ...59 M y Last War, by Ernest Spen cer ............................50 Poetry, by Norman LanquIs t ...................................60 M etaphor ancI War, by GEORqE LAkoff....................52 A notBer
    [Show full text]
  • Aa000343.Pdf (12.91Mb)
    COMFORT SHOE New Style! New Comfort! Haband’s LOW 99 PRICE: per pair 29Roomy new box toe and all the Dr. Scholl’s wonderful comfort your feet are used to, now with handsome new “D-Ring” MagicCling™ closure that is so easy to “touch and go.” Soft supple uppers are genuine leather with durable man-made counter, quarter & trim. Easy-on Fully padded foam-backed linings Easy-off throughout, even on collar, tongue & Magic Cling™ strap, cradle & cushion your feet. strap! Get comfort you can count on, with no buckles, laces or ties, just one simple flick of the MagicCling™ strap and you’re set! Order now! Tan Duke Habernickel, Pres. 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Peckville, PA 18452 White Black Medium & Wide Widths! per pair ORDER 99 Brown FREE Postage! HERE! Imported Walking Shoes 292 for 55.40 3 for 80.75 Haband 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. 1 1 D Widths: 77⁄2 88⁄2 9 Molded heel cup Peckville, Pennsylvania 18452 1 1 NEW! 9 ⁄2 10 10 ⁄2 11 12 13 14 with latex pad COMFORT INSOLE Send ____ shoes. I enclose $_______ EEE Widths: positions foot and 1 1 purchase price plus $6.95 toward 88⁄2 9 9 ⁄2 Perforated sock and insole 1 adds extra layer 10 10 ⁄2 11 12 13 14 for breathability, postage. of cushioning GA residents FREE POSTAGE! NO EXTRA CHARGE for EEE! flexibility & add sales tax EVA heel insert for comfort 7TY–46102 WHAT WHAT HOW shock-absorption Check SIZE? WIDTH? MANY? 02 TAN TPR outsole 09 WHITE for lightweight 04 BROWN comfort 01 BLACK ® Modular System Card # _________________________________________Exp.: ______/_____ for cushioned comfort Mr./Mrs./Ms._____________________________________________________ ©2004 Schering-Plough HealthCare Products, Inc.
    [Show full text]
  • Engaged Observers: Documentary Photography Since the Sixties
    OBJECT LIST Engaged Observers: Documentary Photography since the Sixties At the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Center June 29–November 14, 2010 1. Leonard Freed (American, 1929 - 2006) 5. Leonard Freed (American, 1929 - 2006) Demonstration, New York City, 1963 Georgia, 1965 Gelatin silver print Gelatin silver print Image: 25.9 x 35.4 cm (10 3/16 x 13 15/16 Image: 38.3 x 25.6 cm (15 1/16 x 10 1/16 in.) in.) Gift of Brigitte and Elke Susannah Freed. The Gift of Brigitte and Elke Susannah Freed. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, 2008.59.3 2008.59.9 2. Leonard Freed (American, 1929 - 2006) 6. Leonard Freed (American, 1929 - 2006) March on Washington, Washington, D.C., Political Meeting, Harlem, 1963 August 28, 1963 Gelatin silver print Gelatin silver print Image: 33.2 x 25.2 cm (13 1/16 x 9 15/16 Image: 37.8 x 25.4 cm (14 7/8 x 10 in.) in.) Gift of Brigitte and Elke Susannah Freed. The The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, 2008.62.3 2008.59.4 7. Leonard Freed (American, 1929 - 2006) 3. Leonard Freed (American, 1929 - 2006) New York City, 1963 Johns Island, South Carolina, 1964 Gelatin silver print Gelatin silver print Image: 33.2 x 25.2 cm (13 1/16 x 9 15/16 Image: 25.7 x 34.9 cm (10 1/8 x 13 3/4 in.) in.) Gift of Brigitte and Elke Susannah Freed.
    [Show full text]
  • On Photography, History, and Memory in Spain Hispanic Issues on Line Debates 3 (2011)
    2 Remembering Capa, Spain and the Legacy of Gerda Taro, 1936–1937 Hanno Hardt Press photographs are the public memory of their times; their presence in the public sphere has contributed significantly to the pictures in our heads on which we rely for a better understanding of the world. Some photographs have a special appeal, or an extraordinary power, which makes them icons of a particular era. They stand for social or political events and evoke the spirit of a period in history. They also help define our attitudes towards people or nations and, therefore, are important sources of emotional and intellectual power. War photography, in particular, renders imagery of this kind and easily becomes a source of propaganda as well. The Spanish Civil War (1936–39) was the European testing ground for new weapons strategies by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. Both aided their respective sides in the struggle between a Popular Front government— supported mainly by left-wing parties, workers, and an educated middle class—and “Nationalist” forces supported by conservative interests, the military, clergy, and landowners. The conflict resulted in about 500,000 deaths, thousands of exiles, and in a dictatorship that lasted until Franco’s death in 1975. It was a time when large-scale antifascist movements such as the Republican army, the International Brigades, the Workers’ Party of Marxist Unification, and anarchist militias (the Iron Column) united in their struggle against the military rebellion led by Francisco Franco. Foreigners joined the International Brigade, organized in their respective units, e.g., the Lincoln Battalion (USA), the British Battalion (UK), the Dabrowski Battalion (Poland), the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion (Canada), and the Naftali Botwin Company (Poland and Spain, including a Jewish unit).
    [Show full text]
  • The Great Telecom Meltdown for a Listing of Recent Titles in the Artech House Telecommunications Library, Turn to the Back of This Book
    The Great Telecom Meltdown For a listing of recent titles in the Artech House Telecommunications Library, turn to the back of this book. The Great Telecom Meltdown Fred R. Goldstein a r techhouse. com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book is available from the U.S. Library of Congress. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Goldstein, Fred R. The great telecom meltdown.—(Artech House telecommunications Library) 1. Telecommunication—History 2. Telecommunciation—Technological innovations— History 3. Telecommunication—Finance—History I. Title 384’.09 ISBN 1-58053-939-4 Cover design by Leslie Genser © 2005 ARTECH HOUSE, INC. 685 Canton Street Norwood, MA 02062 All rights reserved. Printed and bound in the United States of America. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Artech House cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark. International Standard Book Number: 1-58053-939-4 10987654321 Contents ix Hybrid Fiber-Coax (HFC) Gave Cable Providers an Advantage on “Triple Play” 122 RBOCs Took the Threat Seriously 123 Hybrid Fiber-Coax Is Developed 123 Cable Modems
    [Show full text]
  • Warren Commission, Volume XXII: CE 1407
    UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION r,R.Frr.PL.. .Rd* . Dallas, Texas Ree ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT' F~ N. June 5, 1964 JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY, NOVPMEFR 22, 1963, D&LIAr, TEXAS ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT On June 2,' 1964, JAMES W. ALTGENS . 6441 Pemberton JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY, Drive, telephone number EMerson 8-7766, Dallas, Texas, advised NOVEMBER 22, 1963, DALLAS, TEXAS he is employed as a wirephoto operator - photographer by Associated Press, Room 353, Dallas News Building, Dallas, In the May 24, 1964, issue of the "New York Herald Texas . ALTGENS said he sometimes acts in the capacity of the Tribune", Magazine Section, there appeared an article by DOM News Photo Editor . He said he has been employed by the BONAFEDE captioned "The Picture With a Life Of Its Own ." Associated Press for 26 years . ALTGENS advised he was born This article refers to the controversial Associated Press April 28, 1919, at Dallas, Texas . photograph of the Presidential motorcade wherein an individual resembling LEE HARVEY OSWLD appears in the doorway of the ALTGENS advised that on November 22, 1963, he was Texas School Book Depository . Previous investigation has assigned by Associated Press to take up a position along the identified this individual as BILLY NOLAN LOVELADY . This motorcade route for the purpose of obtaining pictures of the article reflects that J . W . ALTGENS, a veteran Associated President and the Presidential motorcade . ALTGENS related he Press photographer in Dallas, Texas, recalled shooting the left his office at 11 :15 A .M . and proceeded to the triple picture . The article further cemented that ALTGENS had never overpass above Elm and Main Streets where he intended to take been questioned by the FBI .
    [Show full text]
  • THIS IS WAR ! ROBERT CAPA at WORK THIS IS ROBERT CAPA at Work WAR RICHARD WHELAN
    THIS IS WAR ! ROBERT CAPA AT WORK THIS IS ROBERT CAPA at work WAR RICHARD WHELAN Steidl CONTENTS “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough,” the renowned Robert Capa said about Director’s Foreword 6 photography. These words could just as easily apply to the philosophy shared by all of us at BNP Paribas, Introduction by Christopher Phillips 8 the bank for a changing world. Capa spent most of his professional life traveling internationally, becoming intimately involved with the people and events he recorded. His work, seen in this exhibition and accompanying catalogue, shows how that approach creates exceptional results. BNP Paribas follows the same approach at all our locations in eighty-five countries around the world. THIS IS WAR ! ROBERT CAPA AT WORK We take pride in getting close to our clients. We apply the insights we gain from that intimacy to deliver banking and finance solutions capable of meeting their individual needs. by Richard Whelan On behalf of my 150,000 colleagues around the world, let me express our thanks for being part of this exhibition of Capa’s distinguished work. Let me also congratulate the International Center of Photography for its exceptional work in helping people explore the possibilities of the art of photography. 1 Robert Capa and the Rise of the Picture Press 11 Please enjoy this book and the exhibition. 2 The Falling Soldier, 1936 53 3 China, 1938 88 Sincerely, 4 This Is War! The End of the Spanish Civil War in Catalonia, 1938–39 134 Everett Schenk Chief Executive Officer 5 D-Day, June 6, 1944 206 BNP Paribas North America 6 Leipzig, 1945 252 Chronology Checklist of the Exhibition Bibliography DIRECTOR’S FOREW0RD Few photographers of the last century have had such a broad and last- recorder; he had a point of view and that, more than any blind pursuit tinguished cultural historian, Richard’s magisterial biography of Capa, Other important contributors include Christian Passeri and Sylvain ing influence as Robert Capa.
    [Show full text]
  • Media Images of War 3(1) 7–41 © the Author(S) 2010 Reprints and Permission: Sagepub
    MWC Article Media, War & Conflict Media images of war 3(1) 7–41 © The Author(s) 2010 Reprints and permission: sagepub. co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1750635210356813 Michael Griffin http://mwc.sagepub.com Macalester College, Saint Paul, MN, USA Abstract Photographic images of war have been used to accentuate and lend authority to war reporting since the early 20th century, with depictions in 1930s picture magazines of the Spanish Civil War prompting unprecedented expectations for frontline visual coverage. By the 1960s, Vietnam War coverage came to be associated with personal, independent and uncensored reporting and image making, seen as a journalistic ideal by some, and an obstacle to successful government conduct of the war by others. This article considers the idealized ‘myth’ of Vietnam War coverage and how it has influenced print and television photojournalism of American conflicts, skewing expectations of wartime media performance and fostering a consistent pattern of US Government/media collaboration. Upon analysis, pictorial coverage of US wars by the American media not only fails to live up to the myth of Vietnam but tends to be compliant and nationalist. It fails to reflect popular ideals of independent and critical photojournalism, or even the willingness to depict the realities of war. Keywords documentary, Gulf War, Iraq War, journalism, news, photography, photojournalism, television, television news, Vietnam War, visual communication, visual culture, war, war photography Media representations of war are of interest to media scholars for many reasons. First, as reports or images associated with extreme conflict and matters of life and death, they tend to draw intense public attention, and potentially influence public opinion.
    [Show full text]
  • Famous Journalist Research Project
    Famous Journalist Research Project Name:____________________________ The Assignment: You will research a famous journalist and present to the class your findings. You will introduce the ​ journalist, describe his/her major accomplishments, why he/she is famous, how he/she got his/her start in journalism, pertinent personal information, and be able answer any questions from the journalism class. You should make yourself an "expert" on this person. You should know more about the person than you actually present. You will need to gather your information from a wide variety of sources: Internet, TV, magazines, newspapers, etc. You must include a list of all sources you consult. For modern day journalists, you MUST read/watch something they have done. (ie. If you were presenting on Barbara Walters, then you must actually watch at least one interview/story she has done, or a portion of one, if an entire story isn't available. If you choose a writer, then you must read at least ONE article written by that person.) Source Ideas: Biography.com, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN or any news websites. NO WIKIPEDIA! The Presentation: You may be as creative as you wish to be. You may use note cards or you may memorize your ​ presentation. You must have at least ONE visual!! Any visual must include information as well as be creative. Some possibilities include dressing as the character (if they have a distinctive way of dressing) & performing in first person (imitating the journalist), creating a video, PowerPoint or make a poster of the journalist’s life, a photo album, a smore, or something else! The main idea: Be creative as well as informative.
    [Show full text]
  • West Page 1 Saigon Memories 1,905 Words As a 1958 High School
    West Page 1 Saigon Memories 1,905 words As a 1958 high school graduate without a firm grasp of a career, I decided to pass on college and cast my lot with Uncle Sam. I’d sent post cards of interest to all the services. Only the Marine Corps responded. I signed on the dotted line and went looking for adventure. During the next six years I found it - in spades. In February, 1962, I graduated with class number 1-62 at the Marine Security Guard School, Henderson Hall, Quantico, Virginia. The day we received our embassy assignments was memorable. As they called names off, I realized I wasn’t going to Lisbon, Paris, Stockholm, Athens, or anywhere else equally exotic and cool. Tom Mollick, LeRoy Vestal, and I were being sent to Saigon, and I didn’t even know where it was. I’d never heard of South Vietnam, though I was familiar with French Indo-China, a name which was offered as a reference point. I made a mad dash to the library and dug into whatever news magazines were available. What I read both chilled my spine and accelerated my pulse. “Holy s---,” I remember saying aloud, “there’s a shootin’ war going on over there!” Little did I know. After flying 9,003 miles, most of it by MATS (military air transport service and all of it facing the tail of the plane), with stopovers in San Francisco, Honolulu, and Guam, we landed at Clark AFB in the Philippine Islands. After a quick stopover in Manila to get our passports stamped with a Vietnam visa we boarded an Air France commercial airliner and continued.
    [Show full text]