Should images of death be published?

A shocked resident looks at cars burnt during the Mpeketoni attack. In countries where violence is commonplace, pictures of death may not be so upsetting. In others they may be distressing and sickening. PHOTO/KENYA RED CROSS 

In Summary

• In Kenya, the situation is worsened by tribal animosities. The publication of the Mpeketoni death pictures may have brought cheer to some and sorrow to others, as was evident from the reactions in the social media.

By Peter Mwaura
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Would you like a picture of your death published on the front page of the Nation for all to see?

It is almost certain nobody would like to be remembered as a corpse, food for worms. It is undignified and dehumanising.

 

Don’t worry. It is unlikely a picture of your dead body or yourself seriously injured or dying with the mouth open, eyes open but unseeing, will appear in the Nation any time soon. This is going by the post-Westgate journalistic ethics that now seem to be in place.

But going by the Mpeketoni coverage, your image could appear in The People and The Star. On June 17, The People published a picture of bloody corpses. I counted at least 10 bodies in the colour picture, which was splashed full-length across the front page. More gory pictures followed on pages 2, 3 and 7. The Star also splashed on its front page the picture of a dead body. More dead bodies appeared on pages 3 and 6.

That is not to say the two newspapers are necessarily wrong and the Nation right, along with The Standard that also avoided publishing pictures of corpses of the Mpeketoni massacre in which some 60 people were killed in cold blood.

It has always been hotly debatable whether the media should publish pictures of the dead and the dying.

IMAGES CONVEY REALITY

Those who are against the practice argue that it is dehumanising to do so and an insult to the dead. It is also traumatising and harmful to their families and children.

Besides, in most cases it does not add value or depth to the story. Only the media benefit from the publication of such ghastly and harrowing images as they can sell more papers to those readers who like to see blood, violence, and death.

Those who favour the practice argue that it is not the job of the media to honour or dishonour the dead. The job of the media is to report a story as it happened, not to filter or censor reality.

The images of death convey the reality on the ground. Besides, they argue, publishing such graphic pictures sensitises readers about the tragedy. The pictures may even provoke a conversation on what should be done to prevent such tragedies.

The controversy is universal. It is complicated because of differing cultures and mindsets. In countries where violence is commonplace, pictures of death may not be so upsetting. In others they may be distressing and sickening.

In Kenya, the situation is worsened by tribal animosities. The publication of the Mpeketoni death pictures may have brought cheer to some and sorrow to others, as was evident from the reactions in the social media.

Still, the law is clear.

Publication of photographs showing mutilated bodies, bloody incidents and abhorrent scenes must be avoided unless the publication of such photographs serves the public interest, according to the Code of Conduct for the Practice of Journalism in Kenya.