The European Newspapers in their sensationalist and anti-Italian manner have made a small tragedy, one of Epic proportions, and portray the Italians as crass and without care. There have been a torrent of these denigrating stories for the last week.
The Reports are that two Roma girls drowned in the surf, and were left to lie un cared for, while beach goers appeared indifferent.
Now, the Photographer states that "the picture that shames Italy". was cropped, telescopic and the reportage distorted the situation.
"Several holiday makers jumped into the water to try to save the two (Roma) girls, who did not know how to swim", and then covered the bodies as they lay on the beach for about an hour until coffins were brought in. Many people either lent a hand or left the beach after the incident.
It would have been un seemingly for people to be gathered around the bodies like vultures, or from morbid curiosity.
Other bathers respectfully kept their distance, until ambulances arrived to transport the girls to the morgue.
The use of a telephoto lens made the sunbathers on the beach at Torregavata north of Naples look closer to the bodies than
they in fact were.
Pic Reveals Half-Truth
I Africa
Fri, 25 Jul 2008
A picture of two drowned Roma girls lying amid sunbathers on an Italian beach — which sparked a wave of criticism against Italy — did not tell the whole story, the photographer said on Friday.
The photo — published in several European newspapers — showed Italians sunbathing, talking on cellphones and apparently ignoring the nearby corpses, which were partially covered by beach towels with their feet poking out.
"I took several pictures — some showed holidaymakers going about their business, on others people were visibly concerned, or were helping to carry the coffins," Alessandro Garofalo told AFP.
Garofalo (30) — who works for the Naples daily Il Mattino — added: "On the photographs which the foreign newspapers picked out, everybody seemed indifferent.
"But in reality, only about half the people present acted as if nothing had happened, but many people either lent a hand or left the beach after the incident."
He added that his use of a telephoto lens made the sunbathers on the beach at Torregavata north of Naples look closer to the bodies than they in fact were.
British newspaper, The Independent was typical in adverse comments — calling the image "the picture that shames Italy".
But Garofalo said "several holidaymakers jumped into the water to try to save the two girls, who did not know how to swim", and then covered the bodies as they lay on the beach for about an hour until coffins were brought in.
1 comments:
Message for Rosario Iaconis and Richard Annotico:
Gentlemen,
You need to step back and try to rationalize why your strident and knee-jerk responses to defamatory slurs, insults or ill-conceived commentary directed at Italians. It serves no purpose other than to trivialize real issues facing Italians and people of Italian ancestry in their dealings with cultures and countries around the world. In time, it can lead to desensitization so that when the need for governments or courts to act in a critical situation, decisions/justice will be delayed. It is why citizens of Italian ancestry continue to be victims of petty prejudices in multicultural societies. And yet, look at all the highly placed Italian Americans in government, the military and the arts, etc. The classical, cultural and scientific heritage of Italy and Italians is envied by cultures the world over; and envy is the least sincere form of flattery. No culture extinct or extant has mastered more aspects of the human endeavour than the culture that inhabited the Italian peninsula; it’s not even close. That should provide adequate succor for both of you.
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