CAMM

For this week’s group blog, we at CAMM decided to talk about the impact of images throughout the media with particular reference to the Melbourne Gangland Feature provided on DSO. With the likes of television shows such as Underbelly, most people are now fully aware of what happened during the 1995-2004 period. The images of convicted criminals splashed all over major newspapers and news bulletins was a talking point amongst the group. The recent images of Roberta Williams posing in a bikini on the front cover of the Herald Sun shows that some criminals are being glorified in mainstream media in order to sell magazines and papers whilst making a quick dollar for themselves.

We’re all aware that pictures speak much louder than words. Images of gangland members carrying the coffins of their friends and family who died due to their lifestyle are damning and should have a lasting affect on other members of the criminal community. As future members of the media we must make the distinction between a photo that captures an important moment/important person versus a photo that is used to make a high volume of sales.

Lastly, the group also discussed whether it was a good or bad thing to have pictures of victim’s family members mourning at a funeral. In a time of genuine sorrow and discomfort, is it fair and morale to put these pictures on major news networks and all over the papers? This goes for families and friends of all types of victims, not just gangland related. The flip side to this argument is that pictures of grieving relatives give the story a harder, more real angle. Something to ponder as the semester continues…  

CAMM