Death Or Dying

Photographs of Death or Dying; Are They Necessary

It has been said that, it would be a good thing if newspapers published more photographs of death and dying. There are many reasons why people say that photographs of dead and or dying people should or should not be published by newspapers. For example, some people say that pictures of people dying should be published in newspapers because death is a huge part of life. While members of the opposition state that death should remain private, and it should not be published, especially in a newspaper. The argument for or against publishing pictures of death will be disputed forever, however, I believe that photographs of death are appropriate, and I will argue why I believe in the publishing of photos of death or dying.

I believe that photographs of death or dying should very well be available for the to observe. Death is an inevitable part of life, it is going to happen, regardless of whether or not one wants it to occur. If death is a part of everyone's life, why shouldn't it be published? Perhaps if death were published in newspapers or magazines people would become less afraid of it because they know what death entails. Nora Ephron states "Death happens to be one of life's main events. And it is irresponsible- and more than that, inaccurate- for newspapers to fail to show it" (Ephron 113). This quote is evidence that there are others that feel the same way as I do about this topic. Death is a part of life, and it should be available for the public to see.

The opposition to what I believe claims that displaying pictures of death or dying in newspapers is absolutely inappropriate and unnecessary. Those members believe that death is private, and that it should remain that way. There is no reason for people's private death to be published for thousands, perhaps millions to see. Most members of the opposition would call these photographs, cheap sensationalism. An anonymous customer of the Washington Post states, "I thought I was reading the National Inquirer. Assigning the agony of a human being in terror of imminent death to the status of a side show act" (Ephron 111). This reader is clearly unsatisfied and quite offended by the pictures of death that the newspaper has published on the front page of the paper. Death is clearly something private that everyone goes through, and death should stay lonely and not be published.

The opposition's argument is apparent and somewhat valid, however, the situation should be looked at from another perspective. For example, it is quite possible that if more photographs of death or dying were published, people would think twice before doing certain