The Star defends publishing Sinai photos

YESTERDAY the Star printed on its front page a dramatic photo of a body burned to cinders in the Sinai explosion. There have been complaints that the Star should not have published the photo but the Star still believes it was the right thing to do.

Firstly, the body was burned beyond recognition. It was not a recognisable individual whose final privacy was being invaded. Secondly, the photo had overriding news value. Pictures of dead bodies should not be published casually but this dramatic photo brought home the full horror of the devastation wreaked by the fireball on Monday morning. The fire was so intense that only the skeleton remained.

Thirdly, it is not the job of newspapers to be wishy-washy. Newspapers should inform the public and provoke debate. This shocking photo ( which was also published by the Nation on its inside pages) should cause both the public and civil servants to ask searching questions.

Why are slum dwellers being allowed to live beside a fuel pipeline just for the sake of winning votes? Why is the pipeline not fenced off and segregated to prevent such catastrophes? In Changamwe, people are actually living on top of a fuel reservoir. What would happen if that exploded?

Quote "The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis." - Italian poet Dante Alighieri died on September 14, 1321.