Homework #1: The Power of Photography and the Syrian War Crisis

Photographer Nilufer Demir who took photograph of drowned Syrian boy, Aylan Kurdi

Photographer Nilufer Demir who took photograph of drowned Syrian boy, Aylan Kurdi

On September 2, 2015, Nilufer Demir, a photographer working for a Turkish news agency, took a series of photos of Aylan Kurdi, the three-year-old toddler, who drowned as his family tried to escape the ravages of the civil war in Syria. Demir’s photographs show Aylan’s limp body lying along a shore in Turkey and a police officer carrying his corpse away. These shocking photographs quickly spread on social media and through media outlets as more news agencies decided to publish the images. Demir was criticized for taking the photographs and the news agencies were criticized for lacking respect for the dead. Some papers decided to not publish the images.

In a course on the history of photography, we will encounter equally brutal imagery, such as Nick Ut’s photograph of a child fleeing a napalm bombing. Take a look at Demir’s photographs at the Time link (I couldn’t post the photo here). Read the article in Time about the effect of this photograph, and comment on what you think of the image. Do you think it should have been published? Why or why not? Do you think it is effective as an image of the Syrian civil war crisis? Before you submit your comments, please read the Blogging Guidelines (especially the first paragraph!)

Click on link to Time article here.

You can learn more about Aylan Kurdi and his family via NPR here.

PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSE BY THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 24, 2015.

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35 Responses to Homework #1: The Power of Photography and the Syrian War Crisis

  1. Nahida Ahad says:

    I think the photo should be have been published. It shows the harsh truth about the effects war causes. It also opens an eye for people such as me who usually ignores the news. People have much more anger and sympathy when it comes down to innocent children dying. Publishing this would raise much more awareness.

  2. Jan Santos says:

    As I read the article, I must agree that this particular photo taken by Nilufer Demir, should’ve been published. It has shown the effects of the Syrian civil war. Many people do not believe in what they hear because to them they are just words, but this image has shown the truth. It’s even more effective because it’s a dead child being carried from the beach. Looking at this photo, breaks my heart, I wouldn’t want any child to go through this, I highly doubt ANYONE would want this to happen. I must admit I wouldn’t read any article that has no interest to me just by looking at the title and a bunch of words. Especially since I don’t really like to read the news article because it’s boring to me, but once I saw the photo as I clicked the link, it caught my attention to read the article(besides doing the homework). If they published this photo, maybe it will catch the world’s attention to this crisis. Especially in this generation of technology, “Syrian civil war” can be spread throughout social media in a minute. It might be disturbing for others, but it’s the truth and we all need to know the truth.

    • Felipe Leger says:

      I agree with you saying that it would spread fast because of technology and that is good because it will show what happens in war. I also agree with you on it not being very intense but that is until you see the picture. So I believe that the picture was a very important part in the article.

  3. I think that the photo should have been published to the public in order to show the truth behind the Syrian civil war. The photo is very effective because it shows a dead child carried out and when people look at it they will feel sadness and sorry for the children in the Syrian civil war. No parent will want their child to be caught up in a war where there is death and despair. A child would want to live in a safe environment where there is no death and violence. They could simply lose their lives or witness the death of their loved ones. Publishing the photo will help people understand how horrific a war can be and will make everyone in the world support those who are caught up on it. Nowadays people can share the photo much faster and easier on the internet than just putting up an article. An article can be long and boring for many people but with just a single photo it can describe the whole event and makes you think how powerful a photo can be.

  4. I think the photograph is very graphic and disheartening to the people of Syria. It is also a sad photograph to look at because people see it as a little boy who died trying to get to safety and never getting to grow up and live his life but I agree with it being published. The reason I say this is because though there are many articles out about what is going in Syria none seemed to have gain the same amount of attention as this photograph. This shows that it is an effective image of the Syrian civil war crisis. Reading about the civil war in Syria gives you a sense of what is going on and what is happening over there but it does not have the same punch as when you attach an image to it. The reason why is because now you can see what’s really happening and you can put a face to it which gets people emotionally attached to the photo. People now get a sense of how real and serious this crisis is because of the photo. They see that it is serious enough for people to put their families and children at risk to seek refuge.

  5. Soledad says:

    The photographer Nilufer Demir who took the photograph of Aylan Kurdi did such a big polemic in the social media. The reason why it did was, because seeing children suffering or hurt is a very sensitive topic for everybody. It is heartbreaking to see an innocent child die due to the crisis that Syria is going through. I think the image perfectly describes and it’s self-explanatory of how an innocent child lost its life trying to escape from a war. This image also brings concern to everyone on how we can help Syria get through this war with any donations and help prevent any further wars since the only ones who end up hurt are the innocent ones. I believe that this image should have been published, to bring awareness of what is really going on every day when we have this type of wars and how we constantly ignore the fact that other countries are having a bad time because of wars. This image brought awareness to everyone and will make a big impact now and years later. This image is certainly effective of what Syrians crisis is. As you can see many of this innocent people are leaving everything behind trying to escape from war even if it means to risk their own life not knowing that they can lose their families and their own life.

  6. Ryan Wong says:

    I believe this photo taken by Nilufer Demir of a dead 3 year old boy who fled Syria should have been published. It brings attention to the disastrous Syria crisis. Many American’s do not keep up with the news; we typically source it from social media’s. Let’s talk about the crisis in the Syria war, the civil war has killed over 220,000 people. Every year there is a growth in refugees, in 2012 there were 100,000, by April 2013 a whopping 800,000. More than half of all Syrian refugees are under the age of 18, these children have lost everything. Including Aylan Kurdi and his 5 year old brother Galip, they drowned due to an overloaded boat in an attempt to flee Syria. What has America done to assist these innocent people of Syria? The Obama administration has already taken action; they will increase the number of worldwide refugees the United States accepts each year to 100,000. This image is definitely effective at portraying the Syria war crisis. It shows innocent children are also being affected by this war and how tragic it has become.

    Citations:

    http://www.mercycorps.org/articles/turkey-iraq-jordan-lebanon-syria/quick-facts-what-you-need-know-about-syria-crisis

  7. Michele Martinez says:

    In my opinion the photograph taken by Nilufer Demir did not have to be published to make a point. As a society we have become obsessed with social media and posting everything good or bad. I think this image just feeds peoples needs to post everything. It becomes less about Syria and more about the dead child on the cover of a newspaper. A prime example of this is when I asked a friend what he knew about what’s happening in Syria right now and his response was simply no. Yet when I asked had he seen the papers with the dead infant on them he said yes. People are more interested in seeing the graphic images rather than reading the story behind them. If we think about it the image wouldn’t even have been posted had social media not circulated it before hand. If putting this image out there did anything good it would be help for that country but it raises the question what has happened to the world where in order to help someone we have to have an infants death rubbed in our faces.

  8. Jamile Brito says:

    From my point of view, I believe this photo should have been published. The reason I believe this, is because we live in a world where people are blind and brainwashed of what is really happening around us; specially when it comes to war crisis such as the Syrian civil war itself.

    It is easy to hear people tell you what is going on in a certain region around the world but it is harder to believe it when there is no proof. The fact that these photographs have gone viral through the media (specially social media), has opened up many people’s eyes to what is called real crisis events. The sad truth is that we tend to push away reality and paint a picture of something that‘s totally different.

    I see nothing wrong with publishing these photographs, which demonstrates the harsh reality of what we are enduring nowadays and for once in our lives we need to put ourselves in the shoes of these innocent lives.

    This three year old boy could be our brother, our son and even ourselves. I understand that for many people it is hard to look at such disturbing photographs but at the same time it is what’s actually happening in Syria and it’s an opportunity where people should come to an understanding that not only lives of adults are being lost, but the lives of innocent children as well. In essence, I believe it is effective as an image of the Syrian civil war crisis.

  9. Derick Isaac says:

    I believe that the photo taken by Nilufer Demir of the 3 year old boy washed up was definitely hard to view. i understand why people would say it should not have been published because some may view it has disrespectful to show dead bodies but this was different. It was a good idea to publish because like someone else above stated, i am the type of person who cant really believe everything i read on the news. If i didn’t see it i cant really wrap my head around what happened. Displaying the pictures for people to see really shows people the real issue. It shows that no one is safe not even little children and that’s terrible because children haven’t even had a chance to really grow up and live. I wouldn’t say it was the perfect way to get the news out there to the people but it is effective and would definitely get someone like me to read more into the situation.

  10. Kelman Eng says:

    The way I see it, I believe this photo has the right to get published because the photo itself contain a very powerful message to the viewers. It speaks louder than words. In our current society, of course it’s hard to look at any picture that show a dead person; while in this case it’s a particular photo showing a dead child. However, what is the point of photography when society wants to limit on what should get publish and what shouldn’t. Photography is more than just having a photo that is appealing to public to look at. Photography can be a way to deliver a message to the public. Whether it’s a positive one or a negative one. What’s important is how they respond to it. If the society manage to respond to an image, it basically mean that the photographer did the job right. They were able to convey the message to the public and allowing the people to express how they feel. So I don’t see any problem in publishing this photo. The image is very effective in terms of conveying the message about the Syrian Civil War because it show how’s the war changed the lives of the people. Running away from the issue and the struggle to get away from it. Showing the difficulty of one faces as they seek for a place to live, to be safe.

  11. Arlyn Aquino says:

    In my opinion this image should have been published because it shows the harsh reality of what people are deciding to do because of the Civil War in Syria. This shows that people believe the only way to be able to escape the war occurring in Syria is by fleeing in boats. Sadly as stated in the article the boat was turned over and the little boy drowned and died.
    I believe that it is effective as an image of the Syrian civil war crisis because it is able to capture people’s attention all over the world. When people see this image they will want to find a way to help out the people in Syria. They will also see how much risk everyone is in. This image portrays the harsh reality that many people endure. People would see that all types of innocent people are losing their lives during this war.
    By publishing this image you would be able to capture people’s attention about the crisis occurring, people would also be able understand the severity of the war. If someone were to be walking by and saw this image on the cover of a magazine or newspaper they would want to look into what occurred and caused that little boy to die. If that image were to be online it would go viral and would cause many people to talk and want to help the innocent people caught in between the war in Syria.

  12. Hermes A.D. says:

    I strongly believe that Aylan’s picture has to be published to open up everybody’s eyes about what is going on in the world. This photograph tells a lot to the world. It means a lot. People should be aware about the Syria and refugees and this photograph actually shows us how bad and serious are the things. Someone has to stop Syrian civil war crisis otherwise we would keep seeing so many photographs like Aylan’s.

  13. In reading the TIME article and looking at the photograph taken by Ahmet Degirmenci, I was shocked to see a 3 yr. old child, who has passed on, being carried away from the ocean; it left me disheartened that it was published. I believe that this photo shouldn’t have been published, because it is a disrespect to the deceased as well as exploitation. The meaning of photography over the years has evolved; it use to be a form in capturing a memory or inventory, but now it is a way of ‘who can get the best story’. I understand Degirmenci’s intent in the taking of the photograph, but the truth of the matter is, that just like other world shattering stories, another comes along and overshadows the last, so what real positive impact does it make? It is 2015, and the world is competitive, money hungry, and if it means depriving someone of the privacy one deserves, then photo’s will be taken, and will be published, and if it’s controversial, the better; more $profit. Finally, I don’t think it is effective as an image of the Syrian civil war crisis, why? Because in this day in age, all death’s and negative issues of the world are publicized, as a form of competition towards others who will publicize it first. I wish there was something I could do to stop another death like this, but what can I do? This is a photograph, and I am just a viewer, waiting for the next big story to help me heal from this one.

  14. Felipe Leger says:

    When reading this article I realize that some people don’t want to see the truth. This is why they criticize the photographer who is trying to show the people what war is doing. So yes I believe it should be posted because it shows when happen to regular citizens when war occurs. I also believe that this is an effective Syrian civil war crisis because a photo about a wars crisis should not only be about the battlefield but also about the people around them that are getting hurt. The thing that bothers me most is that the people that see the picture and criticize the photographer don’t see the bigger picture. That is if war did not start that picture would have never been show because the family would have no reason to run away. So people should not blame the photographer but the war, which started all the unnecessary death that occurs around it. So once again a say that this picture is very effective because parents will sympathize with the picture and probably feel what the photographer felt when she took the picture. The thing is that most people did a change to society or a group of people not by staying in the safe zone but by crossing it. This is what that photographer did and it was a good because it will wake up people from their little dreams to the reality that is happening right now.

  15. Irina says:

    Before seeing this image for the first time, I was aware of the situation in Syria from the online articles or media coverages. I realized that Syrian people are going through very difficult and devastating times. It was even more heartbreaking when different countries turned their backs and refused to help and support the refugees from Syria.
    However, this image made me look at the Syrian crisis with different perspective. It’s not just a group of people, who are forced to leave their hometowns in order to save their and the lives of their families and relatives. These are the people who are in constant danger of violence, diseases and starvation. Even upon reaching the destination they are not guaranteed to be protected, secured and obtain normal conditions and quality of life.
    The picture of the drowned Syrian little boy is indeed very graphic, cruel and shocking. However, in my opinion, it should have been published and viewed by the public. Perhaps it can serve as a wakeup call for all of us and our governments. We should stop living in a bubble focusing only on our routines. We need to realize that there are people who need our help and support. Our silence and inaction may result in more tragedies like this.

  16. Kevin Michalkiewicz says:

    After reading the TIME article I believe that the photo taken by Nilufer Demir should have been published. There are many people that don’t want to know the truth and there are those people that just ignore it because its not happening to them. This photo depicts the harsh reality of what is happening to people in Syria. It is understandable that people will not like the idea of publishing a photo of a deceased three-year-old. However this photo shows people the shocking truth of what is happening is Syria. I believe this is an effective image of the Syrian civil war crisis because it attracts the attention of many people around the world and it could push people to try and do something about it. A person wouldn’t simply overlook this photo without digging deeper into the Syrian civil war crisis, especially someone who is in a position of power and can do something about it. The first paragraph of the article says that the photo impacted policy and the U.K. agreed to take thousands more refugees. Its heart breaking that a photo like this is what it takes to provide more help for Syrians during the crisis.

  17. Jose N says:

    I think the photo should have been published because it shows that people in Syria are going to very horrible things that are willing to risking everything including dying to escape the Civil War in Syria. The photo can be very painful to watch but, seeing what is really happening to the people in Syria makes other people around the world want to help to stop the horrible and inhumane things that are happening in Syria because no kid that is three years should swim trying to escape a war. A kid should only worry about what toy is getting next.

  18. Bibi Ali says:

    I think that it had to be published. Also, the photographer shouldn’t be criticized because it shows the seriousness of the Syrian Civil War and that it shouldn’t be glazed over. The fact that there was a three-year-old boy washed up on a beach in Turkey gives the world a reality check. Everyone needs to see the truth to assess the situation. I think that this image is effective because it portrays how the reasoning for this war is misguided and as a result innocent lives are being lost. If people are that sensitive to the photo, it should give them more of a reason to help in a lot more ways than one, it shows the willingness that the people have to risk their own lives and their children in order to live even if they have a chance of dying, it better than staying there and having a definite chance of death. It’s very sad and unfortunate to see lives wasted. About having respect for the dead, the death was the cause of the Syrian Civil War, and I don’t think she lacks respect because she was going for a political view to give awareness. It shows the truth, the ugly truth.

  19. Jeremy Pagan says:

    There are many reasons why the photo should have and should not have been published.
    The picture “breaks a social taboo that has been in place in the press for decades: a picture of a dead child is one of the golden rules of what you never published.” According to Hugh Pinney, vice president at Getty Images, a distributor of news images.
    For whatever reason those new agencies that published the photo they went against this taboo. They could have continued to publish accounts from Syrian refugees but instead they chose to publish the picture and social impact it could produce.
    Personally I don’t believe it should have been published out respect for the family and the last thing anyone in the world wants to see is a picture of deceased child.
    I think it is extremely effective as an image of the Syrian civil war crisis.
    In a time where tragedies such as what the photo shows occurs in a near weekly basis it serves as a wake up slap to the face of the world. It shows that while the leaders of the world sit around trying to figure out what to do, hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women, and children are taking actions that place their lives in danger in order to escape the conflict.
    Being someone that constantly reads and watches various new articles the crisis wasn’t unknown to me. In a world where countries are damned if they get involved and damned if they don’t get involve it serves as another reason as to why something should be done. If ever there was a reason to get involved the prevention of further innocent deaths should be a major consideration.

  20. xiaoying.li says:

    I think that this photo taken by Nilufer Demir should have been published. Because it shows how the civil war is affecting the families that lives in Syria. It also shows people should do something about the war and they would be sad about the family left the child to die. It makes them think they should do something about this war. The photo is shocking to see and it will make people to want to read more about it. They will see what is going on behind the picture. This will encourage more people to help fight the war crisis. The photo will also show people the truth of what’s going on with the war instead of people telling them what they think is going on. People will believe stories that are more believable if there is no proof to show the truth that is really happening and less people will help without this picture. The picture shows nothing wrong and should be published.

  21. Donnie.Dushi says:

    With the Syrian War going on for the last four years, and with known statistics of “more than 200,000 people have been killed, a million wounded, and more than three million Syrians have fled the country,” according to the UN, many people don’t know the truth of what this war is doing to its people.

    “It’s a simple photograph that deals with an essential truth,” and for that reason the publication of Nilufer Demir’s photos throughout different media agencies was the right call in order to spread the awareness and war crises for the Syrian people.

    The photograph is of a dead 3-year old boy, whose body was washed up in Turkey who was carried away by what seems to be a police officer or paramedic. The boys family were seeking sanctuary in Europe. “The image gave photo editors a way to humanize a crisis.” Publishing the photo was an effective way to show the world how the Syrian War is destroying the lives of the innocent. People tend to sympathize more when children become affected, and Demir’s photo does just that.

    Photography is a powerful tool but can also weaken the perspectives of many around the world about what is happening around them. Photographs can be sugar coated, and media tends to not display the “real” disturbing images however what Demir publishes is exactly what we needed to see instead of being brainwashed to certain details about the war. Lets hope that images such as these will impact and send messages to the people and leaders of the world to stop this on going war.

    Drilon Dushi

  22. mdicent says:

    After reading the article from TIME magazine I personally believe Nilufer Demir should’ve published the picture of Aylan Kurdi in order to raise awareness of the situation that is going on in Syria. Yes it is a very graphic photo but many people don’t know how horrible the situation is over there in Syria. Just like the picture from Nick UT’s of the young Vietnamese girl running away from naplam attacks, it helped raise awareness on the war from Vietnam. Hopefully this photo could make people around the world help out the citizens in Syria to find a safe place to stay and maybe end the conflict.

  23. Jstar says:

    After reading the article and seeing the images, I believe it was the right decision to publish the image. In the Dominican Republic where my parents were raised, the news shows the country’s violence, deaths, murder scenes. All very powerful and graphic images, but what they do is connect with the people on a more personal level alerting them to whats going on around them. The photo of a 3 year old boy rises attention to a much bigger problem then what it shows. Maybe this isn’t the first family die on their journey, maybe other family’s have suffered from worse and we have no idea. One is certain, a graphic image like the one taken by Nilufer Demir of 3 year old Aylan Kurdi washed up on shore calls for a massive reform on what the mainstream publish.

  24. Leslie Picon says:

    In my opinion photographer Nilufer Demir photo had it’s purpose. It’s obvious, that by publishing a photo of a child in this situation it will bring mostly negative comments. But at the same time it will make people aware of the news. As the article in Time’s says “July of 2014 when New York Times photographer Tyler Hicks captured the mangled bodies of four Palestinian youths killed in an Israeli airstrike on a beach in Gaza.” And other images in our rich history we have come across photos of deceased children. Such as Victorian times when people took images of their deceased loved ones. I’m aware of what people say that it’s disrespectful but all this medias published it anyways.I can’t decide whether I’m against the publication of the image or not. All I know is that the photo made me sad but at the same time aware of the Syrian civil war crisis.

  25. Nicole Romero says:

    I believe this photo should have been published not only because of the powerful image but because of the public awareness it will bring to the Syrian civil war crisis. It is best to show the raw image instead of concealing it from the world to see. What people really need to see is the reality and exposure this image brings to the real life crisis. In doing so people will be much more interested and aware of what is going on and raise more awareness. Aylan’s picture is greatly criticized but it is understandable considering the visual severity of the picture . Children simbolize innocence, so by exposing this picture people will ultimately be more sympathetic and would spark their interests much faster. Ultimately this photo should’ve been posted because of the eye opening and visual image it brings about the Syrian civil war crisis.

  26. Nicole says:

    I think the photo should definitely have been posted because it not only shows the world what they can’t see it also opens their eyes to a world where not everything is perfect. I also think that Nilufer Demir should not have been criticized for taking the photos because it shows how fearless people can be in expressing their opinions as well. So if Demir is not afraid to take that photo than no one should be afraid to speak their mind about other tragedies happening around the world that no one knows about. It supports the right of people to say what they want, whenever they want, about whatever they want. Yes, the image is very graphic and can be personal to many people; but it just goes to show that just because an image is too graphic does not mean people won’t go out of their way to spread it around the internet because it has some real meaning to it. I think it is effective as an image of the Syrian civil war crisis because it now opens everyone’s mind and eyes to the real impact of this civil war crisis in Syria. Maybe now people will start to realize that this is a real problem and actually try to help however they can.

  27. It’s easy to see why such an image would raise so much conflict. As it said in the article, it is taboo to put the picture of a dead child in the media, but that’s the exact reason it should be posted. The picture is doing exactly what it should be doing, bringing out the reality of the situation without sugar coating it. This kind of shock is what the public needs to be made aware of what is going on in Syria. The fact that the boy’s family was willing to risk their lives in hopes of escaping Syria should be enough to show the toll the Syrian civil war is taking on its citizens; look at how much attention the image has brought them. The article is meant to enlighten people on what is currently going on in Syria and the desperate measures that people take in order to escape from this nightmare. It is also meant to infuriate people all around the world and hopefully lead to more support towards the innocent people who have to deal with unfortunate situations such as these on a regular basis.

  28. ggodfrey says:

    I believe that Demir should not have been criticized for her photo of the little boy. I feel that the photo shows the truth of the extremes that people in Syria are dealing with because of the civil war that is taking place. This picture is a cry of help for the people of Syria. That picture shows people around the world who aren’t involved how serious it is. You won’t believe it until you see something like that to show what is going on in Syria and how it affects the innocent citizens who shouldn’t have to go through this. I understand why people would be offended. It is a sensative subject because it is a three year old child but I feel like people need to be aware how severe the situation is in Syria. The picture needed to be published so people like myself, who don’t really pay attention to the news that often, can now be aware of what’s going on out there. Demir was trying to shed light on the situation that is happening and trying to make it so more people know about what is going on. She didn’t mean to be hurtful about the picture, she was just trying to show the truth about the war that is happening in Syria.

  29. The image is powerful, altho there is no blood and all limps are still in place this is still a dead child, wether the image should or shouldn’t have been publish is all based on the newspapers, if they want to risk showing a graphic image then let them do it, the image itself was gonna spread through the internet by any means, it gives us the viewers a stronger connection, realization and understanding on what is going on around the world, the image is a representation of the crisis that is happening in the Syrian civil war, media is changing, social media and videos themselves are becoming more important for documentation of events happening in other countries.
    In some occasions do I personally think showing a dead child is acceptable, this is one of those cases were it is acceptable, because hearing about it doesn’t justify the horror that is happening to people that have a life just like our own, there is no reason to show the body of a dead child that died in a car accident, we know he is dead, in this occasion the image is telling us: this is the horror that we keep talking about, this are the risk that people are taking, this kid is no longer with us.

  30. Xiomara says:

    Many of us have different points of views on whether the photo of the young boy Aylan Kurdi taken by Nilufer Demir should’ve been published or not. After reading the article the “Time” myself and reading all the different points of views from photojournalism, experts around the world, and from my classmates, I agree that it was a good idea to published the photo. To be honest, I don’t read the newspaper and articles because it doesn’t captures my attention. I did heard about the civil war in Syria, but I didn’t payed much mind to it; however, after looking at the imagine of this innocent toddler it gives me an unhappy emotion that I can’t even explain and it even made me research on the conflicts that’s happening in Syria. This photo gives a lot of heartbreaking reactions and it also shows the consequences of the Syrian civil war or just in general any war. I dislike that we have to see a graphic image of an innocent 3-year-old to attract our attention to know whats going on in Syria. On the other hand, if we actually stop to think about it, there’s a difference between reading and hearing about it than actually looking at an image and seeing it from our eyes just like witnessing it than actually living through it. I feel that this was and is an effective imagine of the Syrian civil war crisis because it wakes people up on how serious things are in Syria and it makes people to start taking actions on helping the innocent ones over there. We only know that the young child Aylan and along with his 5-year-old brother had passed away in a tragic death, but who knows how many other innocent children have also payed the consequences of the civil war.

  31. Hyunjaekim says:

    This article shows that photo can be the strong tools gain the attention of the people whom are not aware of what is going on different side of the planet. and also it is crucial to realize not censoring the photo of devastation of Syria (in this case dead photo of the child) shows the there are more serious matter at hands to not just people of Syria for people all over the world.

  32. Daniel says:

    I believe that the photo should have been published and shown to the public, because it shows that in war no one is truly safe. I didn’t know anything about the Syrian war, but after this article I became more aware of the dangerous crisis that happen all around the world and not just here in the United States. If people feel offended by this image and how it was shown to the public then they should make more of a effort to try and stop the war from continuing. The way i see it is that Nilufer Demir did nothing wrong, she was just doing her job as well as bringing light to a subject that is painful to see. Its one thing to hear and kinda of know about the things that happen in war, but it is another to actually see it, because when we see it it becomes reality to us and it is disturbing but I feel necessary to be shown.

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