The above photograph ran in today’s New York Post. It’s of a 15-year-old girl named Vada Vasquez, who was shot in the head yesterday while speaking with a friend near her schools, Bronx Science.
Vada is now in critical condition at Lincoln Hospital. Here is the full story, if you’re interested.
The folks at Sportsjournalists.com are currently hosting a pretty good debate on whether the Post was right or wrong to run such a graphic picture. The Daily News, the Post’s main competition, supposedly ran a similar photo, but with the girl cropped out.
I disagree with the Post on nearly everything, but I have little problem with the newspaper using the image. First off, no blood. Second, and most important, it’s powerful. Really powerful—without crossing a certain line. I feel a little uncomfortable with the victim only being 15, but a newspaper’s job is to report and detail and make readers know—and feel—what’s going on.
Fortunately, it sounds as if Vada is improving.
