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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

People who photograph and film the misery and pain of others

123 replies

Bejazzled · 22/03/2017 22:24

Imo are the scum of the earth.
These photos (stills from tv footage) appear to show one man and one woman doing just that rather than offering to help the injured man on the ground.

OP posts:
EmeraldScorn · 22/03/2017 23:52

Aren't you just as wrong then for sharing the photographs?

NuffSaidSam · 22/03/2017 23:52

Tizzy it's called the Bystander Effect. It's a lot to do with diffusion of responsibility.

FlappinSwazy · 22/03/2017 23:52

small bit of footage/picture of someone dying...

What a lovely piece of memorabilia for their families.

(And, I have been in a similar incident, and the only time my phone was in my hand was when I was talking to 999). Rubber necking and social media sharing is totally wrong in these situations. Either help, provide comfort, or leave the area (which the police where shouting at people to do). Don't stand there filming and photographing the dying and then posting it to social media.

NuffSaidSam · 22/03/2017 23:54

'I watched photos and video today that only frontline staff should ever really see. The dignity and respect of those patients was completely lost.'

Give enough of a shit not to take a photo, but not enough of a shit to not watch them?

If someone is posting photos for their own sick reasons, your watching them will only encourage them to post.

Stop It.

Dontlaugh · 22/03/2017 23:55

To be clear @nuffsaidsam
If there are blue lights at a scene, multiples of same, units of a terrorist unit and an air ambulance landing close by, I can think of no legitimate reason why someone should feel an urgent need to update their social media with photos of suffering individuals rather than either assist or fuck the fuck off and get out of the way.

FlappinSwazy · 22/03/2017 23:55

nuffsaid they were everywhere. You couldn't exactly avoid them.

SuperBeagle · 22/03/2017 23:57

I don't see anything inherently wrong in those photos? Confused

I certainly don't see a selfie stick.

NuffSaidSam · 22/03/2017 23:57

'Either help, provide comfort, or leave the area'

I'm sure 99% of people did as soon as any shock wore off.

You don't know that their phone/camera wasn't in their hand already as has been pointed out several times.

If you've been involved in a terrorist incident and behaved impeccably then well done you. It's not the same for everyone though. Judging people seconds after a terrible incident is a shitty thing to do, no matter how wonderful you are in an emergency.

PortiaCastis · 22/03/2017 23:58

I hope pictures of dying or injured folk are not seen by their families on social media. You have to be a real snake to post someone's misery on twatter or facebrag

NuffSaidSam · 23/03/2017 00:00

DontLaugh these photos were taken in the immediate aftermath, seconds after it happened. There were no blue lights at a scene or units of a terrorist unit or air ambulance there.

That's the point!!

This wasn't 15 minutes after it happened. It was seconds to a few minutes.

Dontlaugh · 23/03/2017 00:01

@nuffsaidsam
Not entirely fair to attack me for watching what was forced upon me by every major media outlet, I clicked into Sky News and thought I'd landed into the Walking Dead, they have made it unavoidable.
Stop attacking the public, there is a lot more at stake here.

FlappinSwazy · 23/03/2017 00:02

Nuffsaid, no they weren't photographs were taken minutes later - after emergency services had arrived (it took six minutes for the first ambulance to arrive).

Quit your "immediate aftermath, seconds after it happened" rubbish. There is no excuse for this behaviour, it's sickening.

Dontlaugh · 23/03/2017 00:02

Filming a terror attack is one thing, posting it on social media is entirely another, when there's bodies in the mix.

NuffSaidSam · 23/03/2017 00:03

Flappin the picture in the OP was taken seconds after. Notice the lack of any paramedics/police etc.

PunjanaTea · 23/03/2017 00:03

The picture of the young man on the floor was taken by a Reuters photographer who happened to be standing next to the spot, he called for an ambulance and went to get help. His photos are prettt harrowing. I suppose that if you're a press photographer, its perhaps more understandable that you feel the need to document a pretty big event that's happening around you. I suppose the question is should Reuters have published the photos.

PortiaCastis · 23/03/2017 00:04

I wonder how the young man's family feel ?

NuffSaidSam · 23/03/2017 00:05

'Stop attacking the public, there is a lot more at stake here.'

I'm standing up for the public.

That's really the point of my posts.

Undeniably some people are cunts - as I've said.

My point is that most people there were normal, perfectly nice people caught up in a terrible incident and these threads are unhelpful. We don't know those people in the photo in the OP, we shouldn't be judging them and their actions. Or other people who were seen standing around/getting in the way/not giving first aid.

splendidglenda · 23/03/2017 00:06

What an utter nob! Hmm

BagelGoesWalking · 23/03/2017 00:06

I was rather taken aback by Radosław Sikorski's comments. He said he saw some people on the ground, then some more and said that was the point at which he started filming. I'm pretty damn sure that's what he said.

Why would you do that? I can't believe that would be my first reaction to seeing dead or injured people lying on the ground. I'm sure I would be frozen on the spot and not know what to do, but I really don't think I would think "oh, I'll get my phone out and start filming"

PunjanaTea · 23/03/2017 00:06

I've see the video the OP posted though and the way the woman behaves is weird, there is a guy on the phone who you can clearly hear talking to 999 and she just runs up and appears to take a photo of the guy on the ground. I have no idea why.

FlappinSwazy · 23/03/2017 00:07

Nuffsaid There were police on scene from the very start. Just because they weren't in the photo doesn't mean they aren't there. Anyway, you stick with your sick views of thinking it's OK for families to see their loved ones dying via social media and I'll stick with my views that it's totally unacceptable.

FlappinSwazy · 23/03/2017 00:08

Pujana Really? I thought they said members of the public had sent them in. Shame on Reuters if not. It's disgusting they shared that one of the man.

PunjanaTea · 23/03/2017 00:08

I'm sure the young mans family are devasted. Like I said I can understand why a press photographer would take the photo, I'm massively uncomfortable with it being posted on twitter.

FlappinSwazy · 23/03/2017 00:10

There is something wrong with society when the normal reaction to a traumatic reaction is "let's photograph / film this and share it on social media" so everyone can see it.

I could understand walking around bewildered, dissociating, not following directions, crying, laughing, running, being anxious, but filming it and sharing it to social media - that's a pretty complex behaviour pattern for someone who is "traumatised".

Dontlaugh · 23/03/2017 00:10

I suppose when I think about it in depth, war photographers have always posted truly moving photos. We have lived through strange times in the last 20 years, there's been no war as such but we've been assailed with impactful photos that are the result of a war many of us didn't know we were fighting.
Starving children in Yemen, dead toddlers from Syria, drought in East Africa which many of us don't know exists.
I may have to recalibrate, maybe this is acceptable to photograph? Maybe this is the way to get the message across?
I suppose because I still accept we are a Western democracy that the notion of photographing dead and dying bodies after a trauma is beyond me.
I'm not sure that will ever leave me but I'm now oddly open to viewpoints I thought I wasn't.