Videos

Reading the Pictures produces two video programs. Chatting the Pictures is a biweekly, highly-edited 10-minute webcast featuring publisher Michael Shaw and visual academic Cara Finnegan analyzing 3 key news photographs. The Reading the Pictures Salon is a panel discussion concerned with how the media and social media visually frame key social and cultural issues.

Previous Videos
Middle East Watch Video August 7, 2023

Chatting the Pictures: Israel’s “Democracy SOS”

We note the scale and urgency of the "judicial coup" protests in Israel and their failure to garner international attention.

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Chatting the Pictures Video July 25, 2023

Chatting the Pictures: NYC’s Children of the Smoke

The sight of smoke descending on NYC was otherworldly. The emotional fallout from the Canadian wildfires, especially on children, was also.

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Race & Ethnicity Video June 30, 2023

Chatting the Pictures: Rough Times for Trump and His Body Man

In addition to the power imbalance evident in the photo, we explore the racial and cultural dynamics in the Trump-Nauta relationship.

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Video June 13, 2023

Chatting the Pictures: The War Against Drag. And Why Drag is Winning

Energized by right-wing moral panic, this image reflects the growing popularity of drag as both social education and family entertainment.

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Video May 29, 2023

Chatting The Pictures: Death is Part of Life

The image is exemplary for its calmness and domesticity when death is so often distanced and ostracized in modern culture.

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Videos, explained by Michael Shaw
More about Chatting the Pictures and the Salon.

Chatting the Pictures is a lively, highly edited look at key news photographs. Co-hosts Michael Shaw, publisher of Reading the Pictures, and writer and historian, Cara Finnegan, meet to discuss three prominent photos in the recent news. You can find all the Chatting the Pictures replays here.

The Reading the Pictures Salon analyzes 8-9 carefully researched photos chosen for theme and depth of content. Each 90-minute panel is made up of leading photographers, photo editors, visual academics and other experts experienced in the subject.

Since 2008, we have produced 29 Salons working with sponsors such as Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and the Open Society Foundation. We have covered topics from social justice to political campaigns to foreign policy. For examples, take a look at: The Visual Representation of the US/Mexico Border Wall in the Media; How Science is Pictured in the Media and Public Culture; The Visual Framing of the Migrant Crisis; The Visual Framing of Surveillance; The Debate Over White House Photo Access; The Picture from Syria; or The War on Women. Each post contains a full replay of the broadcast, along with 2-3 minute highlight videos from each photo discussed. You can find all the full salons here.