Credit where credit is due

by David Safier

I taught both photography and photojournalism, so I love a good photo, and I can recognize when a photographer has taken that extra effort to make a shot work. That iconic photo of Giffords' office with the flag partially obscured by shattered glass but still standing proud is one of those photos that work, thanks to a photographer finding the right elements and pulling them together in a strong composition. That's why it's been used by the NY Times, the Washington Post and by countless television news programs around the country. It has become the symbol of the ugliness from the right following the passage of health care reform legislation.

And of course, it ran in Tucson's paper of record, the Star. Oh, I'm sorry, did I say the Star? My bad. It was in the online Star — that story may have been the first reporting anywhere, or close to it — but for some reason I cannot understand, the photo never made it to the printed version of Tucson's only daily.

I have not seen anyone give the photographer the credit he deserves. So here, below the photograph where it belongs, is the photo credit.

Photo by Gary Jones