The rise of the photojournalist has changed forever the geopolitical landscape and shaped our worldview. From the beginning, these stalwart individuals have traveled and been on the front lines of some of the most important narratives in history, including that of conflict and war. O’Sullivan was one of the first war commentators with his graphic images of the Civil War. From then until now, the war correspondent has played a vital role in how we view and interpret the geopolitical landscape and record the nature of conflict. It doesn’t matter which side of the conflict you fall on – the warrior, the politician, or the viewer, the images these journalists bring to your eyes help shape how you feel and sometimes fight the conflict.
“Among the most compelling and heart-rending photographs ever taken of warfare are those made by W. Eugene Smith during World War II.”(ICOP) Smith worked for Ziff-Davis and Life often traveling through the Pacific theater taking images of Marines as the fought in the Pacific theater. His images helped shape out views of the conflict, of our “Brave G.I.s” fighting the Japanese horde into submission for Freedom and the American
way of life. The images were often harsh, bringing the front into the home of viewers for the first time. Showing them the horrors of war so they would support the effort before they found it on their own footsteps. Some of his images are the reasons we have the view we do of World War II, even today. He helped to shape our views and ideas of the war – dirty, rough, and gritty, but necessary and with purpose. This helped shape the home front and the overwhelming support this country showed at that time.
As we move forward, we find that the country has come to expect journalists to be on the front lines capturing the gritty realities of everyday life. In particular, as a society we are enamored of war. We hunker down around our TVs, LIFE, TIME, and National Geographic reading the stories and viewing the images;...