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Grad finds war images help us never forget
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October 1, 2002
The replay of images in the days leading up to the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks raises questions about how we cope with reliving trauma, and deal with such notions as compassion fatigue, information overload, desensitization or even fascination with the suffering of others.
But Debra Pentecost says revisiting traumatic events through media images doesn't only remind us of what happened. It helps us to never forget.
Pentecost, who graduates Oct. 4 with a PhD in communication, began studying the impact of war photojournalism after living in Belfast, trying to understand the effects of the Northern Ireland conflict. "I was fascinated by how people normalized the abnormal experiences that were part of their everyday lives," says Pentecost, who has also studied images of the Gulf War and Bosnia.
While debate about the impact of war images goes back to the American civil war, graphic images captured during the Vietnam War marked a critical defining moment for photojournalism. "The US Pentagon successfully orchestrated a clean vision of war during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, vowing not to have another Vietnam. But an alternative position arose, questioning whether the public even wanted to be confronted with images of war's horrors," she says.
As part of her research, Pentecost showed a series of graphic images to an audience and weighed their responses. She found that while viewers had a tendency to want to avoid disturbing experiences, there was a willingness to "bear witness" to troubled world affairs.
Pentecost says while a certain degree of compassion fatigue may contribute to a notion that the power of war photojournalism is diminishing, there is no definitive confirmation of a death of photojournalism. "There does exist a very real tension between war being remembered and forgotten, and further, what form that remembrance should take," she says.
Pentecost, who teaches related courses on the subject, plans to continue teaching. She says students need to become more critical of the world around them and question what they see. "Especially in a world where public relations firms are being called in to 'sell' the idea of war," she adds, "we need to be asking questions about the political weight of the images of war."
—30—
(digital photo available)
CONTACT
Marianne Meadahl/Julie Ovenell-Carter, Media & PR, 604.291.4323
But Debra Pentecost says revisiting traumatic events through media images doesn't only remind us of what happened. It helps us to never forget.
Pentecost, who graduates Oct. 4 with a PhD in communication, began studying the impact of war photojournalism after living in Belfast, trying to understand the effects of the Northern Ireland conflict. "I was fascinated by how people normalized the abnormal experiences that were part of their everyday lives," says Pentecost, who has also studied images of the Gulf War and Bosnia.
While debate about the impact of war images goes back to the American civil war, graphic images captured during the Vietnam War marked a critical defining moment for photojournalism. "The US Pentagon successfully orchestrated a clean vision of war during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, vowing not to have another Vietnam. But an alternative position arose, questioning whether the public even wanted to be confronted with images of war's horrors," she says.
As part of her research, Pentecost showed a series of graphic images to an audience and weighed their responses. She found that while viewers had a tendency to want to avoid disturbing experiences, there was a willingness to "bear witness" to troubled world affairs.
Pentecost says while a certain degree of compassion fatigue may contribute to a notion that the power of war photojournalism is diminishing, there is no definitive confirmation of a death of photojournalism. "There does exist a very real tension between war being remembered and forgotten, and further, what form that remembrance should take," she says.
Pentecost, who teaches related courses on the subject, plans to continue teaching. She says students need to become more critical of the world around them and question what they see. "Especially in a world where public relations firms are being called in to 'sell' the idea of war," she adds, "we need to be asking questions about the political weight of the images of war."
—30—
(digital photo available)
CONTACT
Marianne Meadahl/Julie Ovenell-Carter, Media & PR, 604.291.4323