Spotlight
July 3, 2016
Copyright 2016 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.
Photography is all about the interaction of light and shadow. That which is illuminated comes to the forefront, while that which isn’t, recedes into the shadows. Shadows can, of course, become an inky black that swallows all.
Spotlight also happens to be the title of a very well-regarded movie depicting the team from The Boston Globe that uncovered the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal. Investigative journalism such as this plays an important, vital role in society. Without journalists, whose dogged persistence brings to the public’s attention such issues, those problems would be swallowed by the shadows of time. There are many ways to muzzle journalists: intimidation can play a part in what gets covered, and journalists can also be denied credentials granting access to locations, events, and/or personnel. This was a major story from just last month.
Journalists have also been beaten, imprisoned, and killed for doing their work. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has documented the deaths of 27 journalists who have been killed thus far in 2016.
Tomorrow is July 4th, and, while there are many ways by which to spend the day, it would be useful to think about the importance and value of a free press, and the efforts made by some, locally and globally, to prevent that work.
Take care.
