The NY Post Cover And Umar Abbasi: Disgraceful

It's not often I truly admit it, but I'm very distressed by this: New York Post Publishes Horrifying Cover Of Man About To Die On Subway Tracks.

I'm not posting the photograph of the NY Post cover because I do not agree with the fact that it has been published.

Mr Abbasi is a Post freelance photographer. I see you Mr Abbasi. I see you clear as day.

I know exactly why you took the photograph and it was definitely not to alert the train conductor.

Your idea that the flash should have alerted the train conductor that there was someone on the tracks was terribly flawed.

As a photographer, you out of all people, should know that camera flashes blind, distracts and obscures people's vision. There was no way in hell the driver could have known that there was someone on the tracks especially with light flashing into her/his eyes.

Furthermore, not only is your idea of using a camera's flash to warn a driver incredibly flawed, and nonsensical, it was very irresponsible. You could have put the driver's and the passengers' life in danger.

May I also remind you Mr Abbasi, that the universal sign for danger or help is pretty much waving your arms around, screaming and shouting. Believe me when I say that everyone understands that.

If you had admitted that you took the picture because you felt it was newsworthy then I'd have been like 'ok he isn't even trying to hide that he's in it for the money, heartless bastard'.

But you didn't.

As a Post freelancer, you're relying on good photographs to sell, so your excuse is immediately out of the window, you're fooling no one.

I've already seen some photo-journalists coming out to defend Mr Abbasi. I found the argument 'photography isn't just about capturing all the good and the colourful, but also about capturing the bad and the disastrous' quite common..

While that is true, his situation cannot be strictly applied to past situations of controversial photographs (i.e. war images of Vietnam War etc.). Why do I think that?

 Because there's a big possibility that Mr Abbasi could have saved this man by alerting the train conductor appropriately.

But he didn't. The amount of time he spend clicking to get photographs were precious moments he could have been swinging his arms around screaming for help. He didn't even try to do either of that.

I have a problem with that.

There were other witnesses there that day and some also witnessed the moment Mr Han was pushed onto the tracks. But they did nothing either. The photo shows no sign of anyone trying to stop the train conductor.

NY Post is disgraceful for posting the cover. It is clear that they wanted a surge in sales. I also know for a fact that they posted it without the family's permission. The NY Post showed major disregard for the family, the victim and also any human being with a heart.

The photo will forever serve as a stark reminder that even when someone is witnessing your last moments, they will not always make the effort to try and save you.

This is the Hunger Games.