EDITORIAL
Last week’s edition of the Hays Free Press carried 39 photographs: a fit, high school soccer defender thwarting a shot on goal in the alumni game; a famous Hays County artist from days gone by, in western hat and tie, leaning on a horse, looking into the future; a family in trouble; a marine honor guard; a woman drinking a margarita at a local restaurant; a teacher’s aide accused of indecency.
Of the 39, exactly one drew readers to comment, and it drew a lot: how dare you; I should cancel my subscription; how touching; thank you.
The one was a front-page photo of a young American soldier, a son of this community, in an open casket. The deceased is in the background, his Marine’s dress cap sits atop the casket. The focus is on his grieving mother, back to the camera, hugging a friend. But her child’s face is visible. It is a powerful image.
Whether newspapers should print photos of the dead and dying is a debate that has been with us since the creation of the camera. Daily newspapers and magazines – not to mention TV – frequently show graphic images that a community newspaper like ours would rarely even consider.
In this case, we thought this particular photo was and is a potent reminder of the sacrifice that is on-going in what is now our nation’s longest war, sacrifice that is especially poignant in the young and the strong, the seemingly invincible. It transports loss from the dim gray of newsprint, literally and figuratively, into vivid, emotional color.
It was not graphic. The photographer did not go where he was not invited. In a community where we share loss and pain, as well as joy, it seemed to show grief, truth, respect. It captures that moment between what is and what might have been. It is, in fact, perhaps worth a thousand words.
Accompanying the photoraph was the story of Marine Cpl. Christopher Dahl, 25, survivor of two tours in Afghanistan, and recently returned home. He is recalled as a gentle soul with a tough exterior, a man who helped his mother, who played football at Hays High, and who left us to travel the world at age 20. For his service and his character, he is a hero to many.
As the story notes, whether Cpl. Dahl’s death is directly related to his service is still a mystery, but no doubt his service and his recent experiences are fundamental to his story – as they are to the recent history we all share. Witness that he wears his dress blues in his casket.
Since the photo ran, we have listened to dramatically different opinions on whether it was appropriate. One mother, whose child is currently serving in Afghanistan on the front lines, said the photo honored her child and this particular soldier alike.
Other callers and writers said the photo brought up too many bad memories and was invasive.
We did not print this photograph lightly, or without discussion among the staff. It is worth mentioning, perhaps, that the staff member who snapped it is a recent veteran of the war in Iraq. Indeed, several staff members are veterans or have close family serving. The publisher emeritus is a member of the Kyle Veterans of Foreign Wars after volunteering twice during the Korean War era. The majority owners of the Hays Free Press trace lineage to battles in the Revolutionary War, and family members served in most major wars between then and now. That is to say, we have deep respect for both the military and the families who serve our nation in it.
In that context, we consider this photograph a tribute to someone who served his country honorably; a stark reminder that we are at war; a jolting reminder that war, even for the best of causes, entails horrific sacrifice; but also, more simply, a moving reminder that – war or no war – one family among us has suffered a terrible loss, a loss that ripples throughout our community. It is a call to our own sense of honor – a call to heal where we can, when we can, a call to help, to do right while we can because none of us know what the morrow will bring.
Politicians and historians alike have talked about the influence that photos and newspapers have in shaping public consciousness. We weren’t trying to make readers think any one thing in particular, so much as trying to tell a story and to make them think in general.
Did we make the right choice? It’s still impossible for us to know, of course. We believe we did.
It still seems to us the ultimate in respect – not despite the fact that this is (for all our growth) a close community, but, in a way, because of it. We recognize that this photo touches raw emotion, raw nerves, and we acknowledge that some of you – our readers are partners in this enterprise – disagree.
We take your comments seriously. We’ll keep thinking on it. We hope you will too. Maybe that’s one more way to keep the memory, and the spirit, of a remarkable young man alive.
