The New York Post caused a public uproar this week, publishing a cover photo that shows a man just seconds away from death.
Queens resident Ki-Suck Han was standing on a Times Square subway platform Monday when he was pushed onto the tracks. The full-page image shows Han looking over his shoulder at the oncoming train. The blunt headline says the following:
Pushed on the subway track, this man is about to die.
In large block letters at the bottom of the page, there is just one word: “Doomed.”
The individual who took the photo, freelance photographer R. Umar Abbasi, was instantly the target of harsh criticism as people started to ask why he didn’t try to save the man instead of snapping pictures. According to Abbasi, he started taking pictures and running towards the train in the hopes that his camera’s flash would alert the train’s operator.
Some people went beyond criticizing the photographer, asking why the NY Post decided to publish the photo in the first place. According to one Twitter user, the image and its headline were clearly meant to make sales instead of serving as a tribute to Han:
To say the cover of @nypost is despicable would be an egregious understatement. Love of capital over care for humans, wholly disgusting.
The NY Post hasn’t commented on the controversy, leaving us with a lot of questions and “what if” scenarios. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
