Reader's feedback: Image of crushed worker was too disturbing
Newspapers are read by persons of all ages and dispositions.
What you need to know:
- There ought to have been an editor somewhere to ensure that the photo was blurred.
- We cannot all be expected to have the fortitude to see such a photo and not be distressed by it.
I would like to register my concern regarding the photograph published in the Daily Nation of March 13, 2024. It’s the only photograph in the print edition on page 23, and takes up a prominent position.
A portion of the photograph is rather too disturbing to have been printed without some sort of blurring.
The caption for the photo reads as follows: “Construction workers carry the body of their colleague after he was crushed to death by a falling lift at Mombasa Garden View Apartments yesterday. The lift was being installed in the 18-storey building that is under construction when it snapped and tumbled down.”
Several men can be seen in the photo carrying out what seems to be a body. Clearly visible to me is what I perceive to be a head that is crushed, so much so that it’s no longer solid, and appears to have been wrapped in what appears to be polythene paper or cling film.
The faces of the men bearing this distressing task of transferring their colleague out of the scene say all there is to be said about the horror and anguish they are going through.
Certainly, this is a necessary story to tell about these construction incidents that seem to be increasing by the day.
About four weeks ago there was another one in a construction site in Meru, where two construction workers lost their lives after a crane apparently snapped.
There is a story to tell about lax (or non-existent) safety standards on construction sites, and the seeming inability/incapacity (or other reasons) of regulatory agencies to monitor and shut down unsafe sites.
Photographer Kevin Odit did a good job capturing the solemnity of the moment. However, there ought to have been an editor somewhere to ensure that the photo was blurred before being released to the public.
As you are aware, newspapers are read by persons of all ages and dispositions. We cannot all be expected to have the fortitude to see such a photo and not be shocked and distressed by it.
In this instance, someone dropped the ball. I hope that more care shall be taken in future to blur such photos prior to their release to the public.
I also hope the regulatory agencies shall ensure the developer of that construction site shall take the necessary safety measures to ensure such an incident doesn’t recur.
— Esther Muiruri
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Julia not first woman Cabinet Minister
Julia Ojiambo is a trailblazer, holding several “firsts” as stated in the Business Daily article “Julia Ojiambo: The Renaissance Woman” by Jackson Biko on February 9, 2024.
However, she was not the first female Cabinet Minister. That distinction goes to Winfred Nyiva Mwendwa, who was appointed in May 1995. Julia Ojiambo held the position of Assistant Minister, but not Cabinet Minister.
— Anniel Njoka, Nation Librarian
