Western media uses photos to show ‘sanitized version’ of Israel’s war on Gaza: Veteran photojournalist

By Muhammed Enes Calli

ISTANBUL (AA) – As the deadly Israeli strike on a World Central Kitchen (WCK) convoy dominates global headlines, it has again brought into focus Western media coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza, in particular its visual aspect.

Patrick Witty, an award-winning veteran photojournalist, has raised questions over the photos US mainstream outlets used in their reporting on Monday’s attack, saying they failed to depict its terrible human cost.

Witty mentioned Anadolu photographer Ali Jadallah’s photos of the bodies of WCK workers killed in the attack, saying he was “shocked” to see they were overlooked by major US media outlets such as The New York Times and Washington Post.

The April 1 attack killed seven aid workers – three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national, a US-Canadian dual citizen, and a Palestinian.

“I was shocked none of Ali’s photos, or any others that showed the victims, were being used by The New York Times (NYT) or The Washington Post,” he told Anadolu.

“Instead, the Times used a photo of one of the destroyed vehicles in the convoy. And not even the most compelling version of that scene that shows the World Central Kitchen logo with a hole in the roof.

“Why is this? I don’t know for sure. Perhaps the photo editor pulled the first picture they found and didn’t bother to look further? Or perhaps they were reluctant to publish identifiable photos of the victims? Or perhaps Ali’s photo of the two victims was too gory?”

Witty, who was with NYT as picture editor from 2004 to 2010, criticized the paper’s coverage of the attack on the WCK convoy as “spineless.”

“There were no photos from the attack … only an enormous five-column photo of bullet-ridden rubble that was taken days earlier on an IDF-led tour for journalists,” he said.

As for the Washington Post, Witty pointed out that the publication only used a photo of the Palestinian volunteer, rather than a “white Westerner.”

When it comes to Israel’s devastating attacks on Gaza, he asserted that Western media has been using photos that “depict a sanitized version of the war.”

“The New York Times Opinion section even had the audacity to publish an entire article about a photo that they refused to show in its entirety,” said Witty.

Witty said he encountered this problem frequently with NYT, especially during Israel’s 2008 war on Gaza.

He said there was a stream of highly graphic photos daily at that time, many of which were deemed “too bloody” for publication.

“There’s a fine line between illustrating an important story and sensationalizing violence or exploiting the victims. But the human cost, particularly civilian casualties, must be seen,” he said.

“Photos of a burnt-out vehicle or smoke rising in the distance or anonymous victims of war crimes in body bags are instantly forgotten.”