January 2015 - Reading The Pictures

Business Focus Photo January 31, 2015

That Deflate-Gate Photo, Focused Appropriately

Yes, phallic associations abound in this story — and given the NFL’s travails, are fully deserving.

Campaign '16 Photo January 30, 2015

Two Views of the GOP's Iowa Freedom Summit

If Peterson's shots are more consistently dark and cynical in tone, it's not to say that the Yahoo Gallery doesn't match, and in certain instances, exceed Mark's most equivalent photo for skepticism and even mockery.

Media Focus Photo January 29, 2015

Pro Vs Amateur, and the Instagram Gallery On The New York Times Front Page

I don't see how this front page impacts the pro versus amateur argument in that big a way. Not as much, at least, as the blizzard of (free) publicity bestowed on Instagram and Facebook.

International Focus Photo January 28, 2015

Pics from the Wire: Teach Your Children Well?

As conflict in Ukraine or in Syria blurs, these are things we can see, feel and think about.

Faith Focus Photo January 27, 2015

Pics from the Wire: The Overarching Obstacle in Iraq

The photo sums up the problem with western engagement -- in duplicate.

Culture Focus Photo

Six Photos to Consider on the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz

This is not a post about remembrance as much as it is about the applicability, universality and the visual influence of the occasion.

Media Focus Photo January 25, 2015

Syria-Tokyo-Cairo: The Information and the Drama As One

If scenes of terror and trauma used to be something you had to notice, today they're ubiquitous.

Ferguson MO Photo

Eyeing Congress: Reid Battered, Not Beaten

Harry Reid has earned his reputation as a fighter mostly because of his unflinching insistence on the Democrats' chances.

Business Focus Photo January 23, 2015

The Serenity of Networks

Instead of seeing only competition, friction, and another day’s work, we can see the deep sense of decoration: how the small ornament can mirror a cosmos.

Culture Focus Photo

The Dream of Reconciliation: Martin and Trayvon, Eric, Wenjian and Rafael

If power is unequal, hearts are hard and communication in the public square is all too partitioned and barbed, I deeply appreciate both these images.

President Obama Photo January 22, 2015

At the White House, a Sense of Humor (and the Old Shazam!)

This photo might suggest a few things about Obama 2015 now that he has run his last campaign and seems lighter in his step.

President Obama Photo January 21, 2015

At Loggerheads: Obama's Next-to-Last SOTU

So much for reaching across the aisle.

Media Focus Photo January 19, 2015

Brands Exploiting MLK Day: Not Just the Most Horrible Offenders, But Why

Focusing on tweets that were visual or hinged on visual language, I've identified ones that co-opted MLK into the brand, and in some instances, were overtly racist.

Militarism Focus Photo

After Brooklyn Execution, Has Media Sympathy Shifted Pro-Police?

With the exoneration of Officer Morrison overlapping the backlash by the NYPD, we have a poster example of a serious problem with video and police accountability. It's called over-sharing.

Faith Focus Photo January 17, 2015

Holy Dive-in-ity

We shouldn't let a new year full of cataclysms obscure all those brave souls who've been jumping into super-cold water without their clothes.

Photo January 16, 2015

Death by Illustration

If you hadn't been following the news, this photo might seem terribly cheeky. (Then, how fitting would that be.)

International Focus Photo

The Boko Haram Massacre from Outer (or is it, Inner?) Space

Amidst the world wide attention and outrage focused on the murders in Paris last week, one could also hear a faint cry -- about a double standard.

Salon Archive Photo January 15, 2015

The Lens in the Mirror: How Surveillance is Pictured in the Media and Public Culture — A Joint Open Society-BagNews Salon

Presenting a joint Open Society Foundation/BagNews Salon examining the visual representation of surveillance as expressed in traditional and social media.