Why dont photographers who take pics of starving kids in Africa, give them food?

Question

A Pulitzer-Winning Photographer's Suicide

Farai Chideya talks to Dan Krauss, the director of The Death of Kevin Carter, an Oscar-nominated documentary about the life, work and suicide of a Pulitzer-prize winning South African photojournalist.
Carter's winning photo shows a heart-breaking scene of a starving child collapsed on the ground, struggling to get to a food center during a famine in the Sudan in 1993. In the background, a vulture stalks the emaciated child.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5241442

Answer 1

In many cases, they do participate in the relief efforts. But not all of their photo subjects can be helped just by handing them food to eat. Once you get to a certain point, more intensive medical help, including intravenous nutrition becomes necessary.
I seem to recall the photographer mentioned actually shooed the vulture away when it got to close. But the child was already too far gone.

Answer 2

I, too, have wondered about this. The photographer in question, by his own admission, actually stood there watching the vulture and the child for nearly 20 minutes HOPING THE VULTURE WOULD SPREAD HIS WINGS for photo! For 20 minutes he watched a starving child huddled a few feet away from a very well fed vulture and he just kept waiting for an even better photo.

The UN relief center was a kilometer away and I cannot, for the life of me, understand why he didn't snap the photo then HELP the child to the center. Rather, he left. When asked about the fate of this girl, he couldn't answer. He simply didn't know.

He would say, to at least one reporter that he did "shoo" the vulture away, but he made no attempt to otherwise aid the young girl.

And that, to me, is as alarming as the subject of world hunger: professional greed and selfishness.

Answer 3

It's hard to imagine someone not trying to help that child.

I believe Mr. Carter was there with a relief team that had brought as much food as they could to those people and found that the need was far greater and more horrible than they could have imagined. The published photo was part of a plea for help.

Sometimes, when starvation has run its course, the only merciful thing to do is comfort the dying as best you can. They're literally the walking dead by then.

Answer 4

Because the media is all about profit and sensationalism, if it weren't send Geraldo an email, and watch him savor the idea of big ratings for a show

Answer 5

becasue, oddly enough, they wouldn't be able to eat it. not to mention that there are a lot more people than there is food, that's why it's called a famine. the food aid agencies send is usually stolen at the point of a gun and sold instead of given away

Answer 6

Why don't the drivers and pilots who take the photographers there do the same thing?

Answer 7

They are there to take pictures , the more tragic the picture , the bigger the pay check they do not get paid to feed them , just to capture their pain ,and suffering ,( they leave the feeding up to American Taxpayers or Opera , and Madonna is in charge of adoptions I think) ....................

Answer 8

nice question<<<

Answer 9

well i never thought of it like that wow they need to at least give them a loaf of bread or somthing

Answer 10

Melanie, great question...........very noble. I too, have always thought the same thing.