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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think this photo was inappropriate for Facebook?

76 replies

ThereWasOnceAGirl · 22/11/2013 21:32

(Yes sorry Facebook)

My friend was walking to work this morning and witnessed a car accident, the man in the accident had been texting and crash, he was trapped in the car and she held his hand through the car window until emergency services arrived.

Once they arrived obviously they got everyone to move far back.

My friend then took a photo of the emergency team at work which she then posted on facebook with the story behind it.

Aibu to think this was bad taste? Obviously what she did initially was amazing and I'd love to think I would have done the same, but I think taking a photo of it and posting it on FB is just .... odd.

I'd hate to think someone I loved was in an accident and having their photo taken by a stranger and put on FB.

OP posts:
Tslade123 · 22/11/2013 23:27

Ive done this. I used to a work as a journalist on a local paper. A car crashed in my road. There was a large crowd that had gathered to gawp, so i joined them and I started taking pics. Some of the onlookers took offencse.
BUt is see it as no differnt to the people stop and stair. People are naturally curious about things like this and will want to look. Its like when People always slow down to rubberneck on the motorway.
Why is it ok for someone who is a by stander to gawp but not ok for someone to take a pic.

caketinrosie · 22/11/2013 23:29

Hi back only briefly. I'm the police officer who watched him die. I'm the police officer who told his wife. And I'm the police officer who had to break the speed limit to catch up with the tosser who thought it acceptable to photograph a road crash victim at the end of his life in order to show others/ keep as a trophy. Or would you prefer I let him go off and instead hope he did neither? What would you do.

AdmiralData · 22/11/2013 23:30

YANBU OP, and whoever thinks it is ok to take photographs of the departed victim needs to get a grip. Shame on you previous poster. Think of the families of the victim.

Floggingmolly · 22/11/2013 23:35

Why is it ok for someone to gawp but not ok for someone to take a pic
You seriously have to ask? Hmm. Neither is particularly ok, but taking a picture of a complete stranger who is injured or dying / dead to satisfy your own morbid curiosity contravenes every accepted rule of human decency. you vampire

Purple2012 · 22/11/2013 23:35

caketin I agree with you. Someone insensitive enough to take a photo like to that is insensitive enough to put it on FB or something.

BackOnlyBriefly · 22/11/2013 23:35

ah so it was just your personal agenda then I suspected as much. What I would like is for even police officers to stick to the law. Can you tell me which law that was and how often you chase newspaper photographers?

BackOnlyBriefly · 22/11/2013 23:36

And I'm the police officer who had to break the speed limit to catch up

Good thing you didn't kill someone else in your chase.

Floggingmolly · 22/11/2013 23:37

Stop and stair, eh? Let's hope you used a spell check for your journalistic pieces.

caketinrosie · 22/11/2013 23:38

Shame on you Tslade123 but frankly, I'm more offended by your shocking spelling....

SinisterBuggyMonth · 22/11/2013 23:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

caketinrosie · 22/11/2013 23:47

Back only briefly. I have no agenda. I merely began with my thoughts on ops original question, and was asked to elaborate by another op. He was not a newspaper journalist. He was simply a voyeur with no sense of decency. I do follow the law and have exemptions when necessary and justifiable. The law is sec 127 communications act 2003.

MurderOfGelth · 22/11/2013 23:48

caketinrosie What that person did was tasteless, stupid and needless, but was it actually illegal?

Belize · 22/11/2013 23:51

Well I'm very glad that caketinerosie chased after the ghoul who took a photograph of somebody who had literally just died. That is beyond awful Sad. How would the detractors feel if that was their father or brother who had just died??

Some people just don't have any common decency whatsoever.

EugenesAxe · 22/11/2013 23:54

YANBU - I find that very poor taste and just sensationalist. It almost invalidates her act of kindness in staying with him, by making it appear all she did was to self-aggrandise / get attention.

Belize · 22/11/2013 23:54

Tslade, your grammar and spelling are appalling for a hack.

Of course it is different to take photographs as opposed to shocked bystanders looking on.

Do you not recall the uproar and disgust when Diana was photographed when she was dying in that tunnel? That ok too is it?

BackOnlyBriefly · 22/11/2013 23:57

I checked the act and it's about sending by means of a public electronic communications network a message or other matter that is grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character

The person you claim to have chased had only taken a picture.

BBC NEWS" I suggest you arrest the BBC.

You admit to speeding and therefore risking other road users and it seems to me that was about your personal feelings not the law.

Now if you read my first post you would know that I find it distasteful for anyone to take pictures like that including journalists, but the law isn't for enforcing personal wishes.

impatientlywaiting · 22/11/2013 23:58

I hate all that kind of thing on Facebook. It seems that people can't see no worth in things unless they can post on Facebook. See so many things on Facebook that I would never consider appropriate to post.

Cake, I completely agree that the person taking a photo of the dead body was inappropriate and had no regard to the person's family or treating the person with respect. But is it actually illegal to take such a pic. Seems that section 127 is referring to sending of offensive images rather than taking of them. If that guy had refused would you have been legally able to take his phone?

Goldmandra · 23/11/2013 00:00

I, too am glad that a police officer decided to follow a voyeur and ensure that a photo of a corpse didn't end up on FB. The possible distress that could have added to the family's nightmare doesn't bear thinking about.

A police officer can put pressure on someone to delete a photo for the sake of decency without breaking the law.

Good for you caketinrosie.

SinisterBuggyMonth · 23/11/2013 00:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AKAK81 · 23/11/2013 00:01

And I'm the police officer who had to break the speed limit to catch up

So you risked other peoples lives to catch someone for doing something perfectly legally. Taking a photo has nothing to do with sec 127 communications act 2003. I hope he made an official complaint against you.

MurderOfGelth · 23/11/2013 00:03

Does that actually fit though? I mean, would that make (in your eyes) a lot of documentary/reportage photography illegal? Some of it is horrific to look at (eg. Kevin Carter, Nick Ut, Eddie Adams, Weegee - warning, some very upsetting photos here)

HaroldTheGoat · 23/11/2013 00:04

Why on earth are you bothered that caketin did this? If it was a family member I would be eternally grateful.

And newsflash, sometimes police officers break the speed limit. They sort of have to.

MurderOfGelth · 23/11/2013 00:04

Just wanted to reiterate, I totally get why you'd want to chase them and make them delete it, but it's not actually illegal to take that photo - just extremely distasteful.

SinisterBuggyMonth · 23/11/2013 00:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

softlysoftly · 23/11/2013 00:07

Backonlybriefly What's your agenda? It's highly likely he intended to break that law rather than keep the photo as a personal memento the sick fuck.

And actually even if it's not the letter of the law it's morally reprehensible. It takes 2 seconds to Facebook it. Another few moments for shares to be hit. And suddenly his wife, his child, his mother finds out their love is dead via a grisly Facebook image.