The Associated Press and University of Missouri support Ali Mahmud’s photo of Hamas militants displaying the body of Shani Louk in a truck on Friday.
The documentation of Hamas’ brutal act on Oct. 7 was acknowledged earlier this month by Pictures of the Year International. Pictures of the Year International recognized the photograph as one of the best of the year, leading to immediate backlash online and statements from the news agency and journalism school standing by their decision. Pictures of the Year, a program at the Missouri School of Journalism, named the war photo as part of AP’s first-place win in its Team Picture Story of the Year category.
According to TheWrap, POY director Lynden Steele stated, “The Reynolds Journalism Institute and Pictures of the Year strongly condemn the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, and we continue to mourn the loss of innocent lives and human suffering that is occurring in the ongoing conflict.
Reactions to the Team Picture Story of the Year express the greater emotions related to that conflict.”
Steele maintained, however, the merit of the image, arguing it captures “the harsh realities of war.”
Steele asserted the worth of the image, stating that it illustrates “the harsh realities of war.”
“This year and every year, the photos in the competition are selected by a panel of professional journalists tasked with identifying compelling representations of the significant news events of the year,” he said. “While we understand the reactions to the pictures, we also believe that photojournalism plays an important role in bringing attention to the harsh realities of war.”
When reached for comment by TheWrap, AP shared a February statement regarding its freelance photographers’ work during Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israeli civilians.
Lauren Easton, VP of corporate communications at AP, stated, the National Jewish Advocacy Center’s lawsuit over its coverage.
Moreover, the statement addressed claims that AP and its photographers had prior knowledge of the attacks, stating that these claims “are reckless and create even more potential danger for journalists in the region.” here.)
This has stirred controversy alongside the outcry over POY’s recognition of Mahmud’s photo.
Reactions on social media grew Thursday and Friday as prominent media critics and Jewish cultural voices condemned POY’s decision as a “creepy and sinister joke.”
“It is difficult to know who is more repellent— @AP for using the product of a ghoul who rode with terrorists and rapists as they slaughtered women and children and then stopped to pose and snap this vision of heartless, diabolic triumph … or the Missouri School of Journalism that is rewarding that repulsive conduct,” British historian and author Simon Sebag Montefiore wrote on Friday. It indicates that both organizations have serious gaps in their morality, humanity, and sense of style.
In its official description of Team Picture Story of the Year, POY states, “This top category recognizes the collaborative effort of a photography staff covering a single topic or news story. It is a narrative picture story that consists of images taken as part of a team effort to cover a single issue or news story.”
The official caption of Mahmud’s image stated, in part, “Palestinian militants drive back to the Gaza Strip with the body of Shani Louk, a German-Israeli dual citizen, during their cross-border attack.”
