Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Front page of the Irish Times

The picture on the front of today's Irish Times is too much. The picture shows a mother overwhelmed with grief kneeling next to the body of her dead child, one of hundreds killed when a school collapsed in the earthquake in China.

I think the picture's too intrusive. The woman is too identifiable and even though she's on a city street she deserves a little privacy. We're crowding her when she needs space.

It's a tough one because the picture is an effective summary of the suffering of the people of China, particularly the parents who've lost children. Nearly all the parents who've lost a child have lost all their children due to China's one child policy.

I'm curious to see what other people have to say about it because I think it's a fine line and I'm not certain that my sense that the Irish Times has crossed that line is right.