A newspaper that believes reprinting a French satirical magazine’s Muhammed cartoons would be too inflammatory is now defending its decision to publish photos of the moment a reporter was murdered this week in Virginia.
The New York Daily News wanted to “to convey the true scale of what happened in Roanoke … at a time when it is so easy for the public to become inured to such senseless violence,” the newspaper’s spokesperson explained in a statement to the New York Observer.
The side-by-side images featured on the newspapers’ front-pages Thursday morning were cribbed from footage captured by the alleged killer himself, Vester L. Flanagan.
The front page’s third and final photo shows one of the shooter’s victims, WDBJ-CBS reporter Alison Parker, reeling in shock and horror from the gunfire.
Parker and fellow journalist Anthony Ward were announced dead soon after the shooting incident was captured on camera during a live broadcast Wednesday morning.
The alleged gunman later uploaded his own personal footage of the event to Facebook and Twitter. Social media users looked on in horror as many of them unwittingly witnessed the killings from the killer’s point of view.
For the Daily News, scenes from the gunman’s personal collection proved too good to pass up, and Parker’s final moments ended up splashed across the newspaper’s pages.
Readers can see the Daily News front page here (viewer discretion advised).
The Daily News hasn’t always been so quick to publish shocking and controversial images.
Earlier this year, two Islamic jihadists stormed the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, murdering 12 and seriously wounding 11 more. Many of those killed in the attack were members of Charlie Hebdo’s staff.
It was revealed later that the deadly assault was direct in response to the magazine’s repeated mockery if Islam and Muhammad.
In reporting on the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack, the Daily News refused to publish images of the supposedly offensive cartoons that prompted the mass slaughter. Rather, in every visual reference to the French magazine’s artwork, the Daily News was careful to censor anything that could be seen as offensive to those who carried out the attack.
The difference between these two stories, however, is that the Muhammad cartoons were a central part of that news event. They were the reason why half of the magazine’s staff were slaughtered, and the Daily News refused to show them.
Stills ripped from Flanagan’s cellphone video, on the other hand, are not necessary to report on the deaths of Parker and Ward.
Yet, the New York newspaper ran with them anyway.
Members of the press expressed anger and disgust Wednesday evening, with many of them sounding off on the Daily News’ editorial decision.
“In the @NYDailyNews’ defense: they get the sh*t kicked out of them by the Post. What they lack in wit they make up in tastelessness,” the Washington Free Beacon’s Bill McMorris said.
Politico senior writer Michael Grunwald added, “Oh no that’s not OK @NYDailyNews. Who could possibly think that’s OK?”
“Delete your account and re-examine your lives,” NBC News’ Whit Watson added, addressing the Daily News’ Twitter account.
The Los Angeles Times’ Gerrick Kennedy was angrier, saying, “Just saw @NYDailyNews front page and it’s the most disgustingly vile thing I’ve ever seen an outlet do. My god.”
Strangely enough, the New York Post has not received as much criticism as much as the Daily News, despite also using stills from killer’s personal video. The difference in reactions may be due to the fact the Post didn’t use images of the exact moment Parker was shot and killed.
