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Harv sent me a link to this article by Max Houghton 'A Question of ethics Photographers in the spotlight'........ I was depressed ... some one teaching photojournalism who has not one positive thing to say about it ? ....... someone who acts like photography itself and photojournalism in particular is abuse ? ...... Man I was so depressed........... I wrote this to add to the comments but could not post it for some unexplained reason :

Press photography is the sharp edge of a free society, the defending edge of what constitutes an open society. I find myself unmoved by all sorts of self interested requests to make it illegal by stars and politicians. "Lets not have a full on free society so that comics can snort cocaine and no one will know", or so that "politicians can have affairs and keep it quiet so no one knows who they are voting for" like in France. I'm used to all that but I have only a little sympathy with it.

But lets not have a free society so that husbands can cut off their runaway wives noses and no one will know ? How disgusting! How shameful a thing to even hint at ! No...... we really should know!

You know....... We absolutely should know, and require our newspapers to tell us so we can act to not allow it to happen again. Well done Jodi Bieber for making that picture at considerable personal risk to herself. Well done Time Magazine for using it so prominently. Lets not let disgusting people get away with it. Lets use the apparatus of a free society so we can know the truth. The truth and the visual evidence of truth will give us ammunition to act, to stop vile hidden crimes and other abuse.

Lets not muddle heroic attempts to stop and expose vile acts of abuse with the abuse itself. Cutting off a woman's nose is a disgusting vile crime. Exposing it and campaigning to stop it happening is the worthy act of news organization in an open society. The combination of press photography and its prominent use in a high circulation magazine in this case really show what a free press with its journalists and photojournalists are capable of in terms of shining the light of public awareness on hidden abuse.

Academics should be clear photography is not inherently abuse, they are often pushing this pretense in so many incidents helping to make photography feel like abuse when it is not. People who teach photojournalism should understand the proud roll of photojournalism in informing society and be proud themselves of this roll. Otherwise why are they teaching it?

Cheers Jez XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

PS....... I've just come back from a Christmas Party......... depressing to hear so many liberal types calling for regulation of the press....... it depresses me...........