View in the evening has rightly shown terror picture
The evening newspaper *Blick* had the right to publish a photo of a victim of the attacks at Brussels Airport. The Swiss Press Council dismissed a complaint regarding this matter, as it announced on Tuesday.
The picture shows a seated woman wearing a yellow jacket. She is injured, her upper body partially undressed. Next to her, another woman is talking on the phone with her hand covered in blood. The picture was taken at Brussels airport, shortly after the bombing last March.
Blick am Abend used it together with several other pictures taken that day in Brussels. The newspaper chose the title "Bombs in the heart of the EU" for its coverage. Because of the picture of the woman in the yellow jacket, a reader complained to the Swiss Press Council. It was a "blatant violation" of this woman's privacy. The publication of the picture also violated her dignity. Her face should have been made unrecognizable.
Iconographic image
In its statement, Blick am Abend called for the complaint to be extended to all media that have used the image. It would be fairer and more purposeful to conduct the review on a general level. The Press Council did not grant this request. Later, Blick am Abend stated that the picture had gone around the world and was iconographic. The woman was no longer in a life-threatening situation and does not appear helpless in the picture.
Public interest more important
The Press Council stated that journalists must show particular restraint toward people who are in distress, grieving or in shock. However, the public interest in the publication must be weighed against the risk of violating the privacy of the persons. In the present case, the public interest clearly outweighed the privacy of the woman, the Press Council found. The picture was documentary and not taken in a situation that was degrading for the woman. The Press Council rejected the complaint. (SDA)
