Cross-posted at Montclair SocioBlog.
Newspapers report facts – thing that actually happened. They run photos of things that actually happened. They don’t make stuff up. But they do choose which facts to report, and they do choose which photos to run. Usually the two are congruent.
But not always. Wonkette ran this photo of a page from the Washington Post:
Wonkette and other sites have contrasted the photo with this video of a cop deliberately firing a tear gas canister at close range directly at a group of demonstrators who had come to aid of someone who had been hit in the head with a tear gas canister.
But what’s also noteworthy is the contrast between the photo (nice cop, nice kitty, nothing violent happening here) and the Post’s own lede: “Police fired tear gas and beanbags. . . .”
Comments 10
JeanieJ — October 27, 2011
That picture not only portrays a warm and fuzzy police moment, but the caption also subtly implies that the OWS protestors are selfish and neglectful: they weren't evicted so quickly or chaotically that they couldn't gather up their pet. They "left it behind," a wording that implies a certain degree of deliberate choice. Therefore, it juxtaposes protestors who would carelessly leave a cat behind with the kind policeman who shows it some affection.
Natalie Red Morse-Noland — October 27, 2011
Also note the headline - "Protesters wearing out their welcome nationwide." Implying that it's the protesters who are behaving poorly, like rude house guests.
Umlud — October 27, 2011
Where were the photographers when the police were shooting tear gas canisters and rubber bullets (that they later denied doing)?
More to the point of gaining hearts and minds, what happened to the cat in all that tear gas and commotion? I'm with "Guest" in surmising that the cat just happened along (at least I hope that such was the case).
Robin Dougherty — October 28, 2011
this image was also used today in a LOLcat with a caption something along the lines of "don't worry kitteh, quan won't let me beat u." --sorry i can't find the URL right now.
Betina — October 28, 2011
YES BUT KITTYY
Shaneequa Sarkozy — October 28, 2011
One guy (Scott Olsen, Iraq war vet) is STILL in critical condition with a concussion and brain swelling from getting shot in the head with rubber bullets by police. And yet they are trying as hard as they can to make it seem like nothing serious happened. There were two different news helicopters in the air that night covering the Oakland protests, and at the moment the conflict started, they conveniently had to go refuel.
If it weren't for the internet and amateur video, we might have never seen what that night actually looked like: a real life war zone.