Crucial Elements of the Pro-Palestinian Campus Protests Overlooked by the Mainstream
Education, negotiation, militarism, human rights. Free Palestine campus protests have stood for much more than they have been credited for.
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Notes on that Transcendent Border Eclipse Photo
The image of the Border Patrol agent and the migrant detainees is truly inspiring. But what makes it work as well as it does, and what context and caution should we consider when thinking about it? By Michael Shaw In a striking photograph captured by José Gaytán for El...
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The Feast of the Arms Industry, and More Eye Candy
Nikita Teryoshin’s photos from arms fairs satirize invisible weapon bazaars. In our latest video, we analyze his delicious photos and contrast them with how the media treats military hardware imagery. By Michael Shaw Canapés and Cruise Missiles? Petits fours meet purveyors of war? Before asking what to make of...
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Israeli Military in Gaza: Are You Going to Believe Us, Or Your Own Eyes?
Despite the Israeli military's attempts to control and censor the coverage of Gaza, photojournalists continue to see through the propaganda.
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Later Stage Abortion and the Changing Face of the Movement: Tracing our Post-Roe Coverage in 7 Photographs
We trace the visual arc of our abortion coverage from the death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg to a clinical focus on later abortion. Distress and crisis has given way to increasing transparency and resolve. By Michael Shaw Our latest Chatting the Pictures video, featuring Maggie Shannon’s powerful photographs for...
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Visual Blindspots and Media Bias: The “Disappearing” of Kamala Harris
While framed as “missing-in-action,” Kamala Harris tackles the hardest jobs and is everywhere fighting for social justice.
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Pictures Worth Noting: Extreme Symbolism and Arresting Juxtapositions
We're thrilled to introduce a new newsletter feature: "Pictures Worth Noting." Today's focus ranges from climate, to politics, to the border.
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Pictures Worth Noting: Extreme Symbolism and Arresting Juxtapositions
By Michael Shaw As I navigate endless galleries of photos across news sites, magazines, and social platforms, I encounter countless images that have stayed with us despite not making it to our main features. These are the photos that, for one reason or another, don’t find a place in...
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Fading Force: Has Trump Lost His Edge in His Court-Defying Visual Strategy?
Recent court losses are eroding Trump's ability to dominate the photo coverage of his legal troubles. Expect his control of the narrative to weaken as the damage sets in.
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Throwing Shade: The Disturbing Visual Fallout From the Special Counsel’s Attack on Biden’s Competency
The Special Counsel’s questioning of Biden's cognitive abilities has unleashed a raft of negative imagery. The media's use of undermining photos risks biasing public perceptions and spreading ageist stereotypes. It's crucial to present more balanced visuals.
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The NFL’s Shattering Collision With Climate Denial, With Some Swift Notes
In our video, we dissect quarterback Patrick Mahomes’s helmet shattering in an NFL playoff game, one more sign of the impact of climate change despite the media’s neglect of its broader implications. By Michael Shaw Call it the elephant in the stadium. Inspired by the Super Bowl, watch our...
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Disrupting Trump’s Mug Shot and His “Singular Genius”
The treatment of Trump's mug shot is vital to consider, given the potential of the George conspiracy case to reshape his public identity.
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David Hume Kennerly: Because He Was There
This photo of David Hume Kennerly, taken in Vietnam, makes a basic yet essential point about media integrity and the reportage from Ukraine.
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At the Tipping Point: So Much for the Pioneer Spirit
2021 represented a climate change tipping point. In recounting key visual markers, we call out two images from the Dixie Fire.
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Doubled Over By Ida
2021 was a climate tipping point. And among the catastrophes, this blow from Hurricane Ida seemed to speak to a larger fate.
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At the Tipping Point: Wildfire Threatens Tahoe
Summer 2021 was a tipping point. Fires, floods, heat waves and hurricanes scaled up, as did the mass recognition of climate change as an existential crisis. As part of that recognition, many brilliant, symbolically-laden pictures crystallized the moment.
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Haunting for the Beauty, or the Stalking?
Beauty and subtlety distracts from the reality of asylum seekers in this news photos from the US/Mexico border.
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Figure and Ground
We rarely discuss it this formally, but our analysis of important news photos always considers the relationship between figure and ground.
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