The Coverage of Gaza
Gaza is one of the most globally covered issues in the world, especially in America. For last several months, there has been a ton of coverage on Gaza, especially here in the United States. Gaza and Israel have been at war for years. However, this topic has been found to be extremely controversial and has caused tons of division in the US. I chose this topic because this is something that I've been immersed in for the past couple of months and I want to spread more information on what has been happening overseas.
What Gaza Looks like Now
At the top of this page, the first thing you see is a city. It looks beautiful. A bit underdeveloped but you can see that there is space for every day life. On the left here is an image just a couple months after the war started. The same place that was once so beautiful has now been completely destroyed. There isn't even room to walk without stepping on pieces of the destroyed buildings. Under the pile of rubble, there are also dead bodies who unfortunately succumbed to the gruesome acts of war. This photo grasps the tragic horrors that the residents had to go through. What was once their haven is now nothing but rubble and debris. In these images, what we don't see are the humans that live here. These photos perfectly capture the before and after the bombings.
photo credit: before
photo credit: gaza
A closer look beneath the sky shot of the rubble. Innocent humans navigating through broken buildings. Exposed to live wires, ceilings that will fall any moment and air filled with harmful dusts. What hasn't been captured in this photo is in other areas, there are victims that are buried under the rubble. This photo is great at capturing how you see the victims in normal clothing and sandals walking through a war ridden environment.
photo credit: victims
In this photo is a young girl carrying an even younger child through the destruction. Walking through the chaos in house clothes and sandals. It's extremely heartbreaking to see not just anyone but also kids also going through this nightmare. It's very dystopian to see a child walk through what was once her home in normal clothing and non protective footwear. What isn't in this photo is emotion. Her facial expression seems as though this is something she is used to which is extremely saddening. The picture is great at capturing a portrait of these two children. It invokes strong emotion in the viewer because behind the kids is chaos. No child should ever have to witness the horrors of war, let alone live through it.
photo credit: children
Many people forget that these young children also have to survive through this nightmare. In this image, it shows these poor traumatized souls and their hurt. Tears running down their face and mixing in with the blood from their injuries. Dust from the chaos in the hair. Dirt and blood all over their clothes. This image captures what the victims have to go through physically, emotionally and mentally. What it doesn't have but should are the reasons for their cries. It could be losing their family, seeing their house get destroyed or even more gruesome events. This image is very effective in showing the viewer the horrors in Gaza and what it's doing to these young children.
photo credit: cries
Here is an image of starving families and their children begging desperately for food with their pots and canisters. It's a perfect shot that depicts how soul crushing the reality in Gaza really is. What the image doesn't have but should is food. However, this makes the shot perfect because the lack of food creates an element that shows the viewer that they aren't only living through the war but surviving the after effects of it as well. Starvation and dehydration because all their supplies have been destroyed in the process. I believe this photo is very effective in showing the reality of Gaza. Innocent families and children that were unfortunately in the environment have to desperately make ends meet just to survive. Begging to survive in an environment that was their home.
photo credit: starvation
To Summarize
I chose these images because they set the mood and show the chaos in Gaza in a very descriptive way. The images show the destruction, emotions, victims, dangers and reality in Gaza. I think the image arrangement conveys the story very well because it starts with the beautiful city and then as we go down the page, you see the destruction and what lies under it. I don't think the story would change much even if I arranged the images differently because no matter how I arrange it, the viewer will still be able to see the tragedies in Gaza. There are tons of ethical concerns that come with these images. As sad as it is, there is a lot of controversy behind this scene. For example, people argue about whether or not it is justified for Israel to cut off essential supplies to the victims of the war. Another ethical concern can is the question on how it's morally correct to harm the innocent bystanders. I think visual reporting is very impactful in todays environment. Sometimes, words aren't enough to convey the message and images do a great job of invoking emotions in the reader so they can get a better understanding of the story.
In the future, I believe that we can go very far in reporting with visuals like this assignment. In the PowerPoint, I learned that images perform cultural transmission and surveillance. What this means is that images are able to get a closeup of that helps better set the scene and tell the story. It includes the observation of the subject of matter and can capture the way of life which is cultural transmission. In today's time, there are so many things going on in the world and having images helps a ton. Of course, with short captions, it can allow the reader to get a better understanding of the story being told. With these two elements combined (images and text), it's safe to expect the future of reporting to be created in this manner. I like the idea of it because it doesn't leave a big blocky page of words but the including of images helps me and other readers to digest the content.
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