Has the NYPost subway cover been discussed?

[vanillacourage]

NYPD officials are searching for a man suspected of pushing a Queens father onto the subway tracks where he was fatally struck by an oncoming train on Monday.

The New York Post reports the victim, identified as 58-year-old Ki Suk Han, was attempting to "protect fellow straphangers from a deranged man" at the 49th Street station when he was suddenly shoved onto the tracks by the suspect.

Bystanders frantically waved and yelled, trying to halt the oncoming Q train from hitting Han, but their attempts proved futile.

[redacted - graphic]

A Post freelance photographer happened to be on the platform and captured the moment just before Han's death. In the photo you can see Han trying to hoist himself up onto the platform, as the train comes barreling towards him. Umar Abbasi says he attempted to warn the train conductor by flashing his camera, but to no avail.

The NY Post printed the picture on their cover, with the headline: "DOOMED - This Man Is About To Die". Cue major controversy that they printed it at all, that he took the photo instead of trying to help, etc.

What does MM think about this?

Full article and image of the cover at link below:
www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/04/ki-suk-han-dead-man-fatally-struck-train-nypd_n_2236791.html

[Deleted]

It is ridiculously bad judgment, but par for the course.

I don't understand how flashing your camera would alert the conductor more than waving your arms furiously and screaming would.

Also, this is my biggest fear.

[ijack]

I participated on ML yesterday.
My beef is even if the photographer was doing what he claims he was doing to stop the train, he really, really didn't have to sell the photos. And I hope that he donates everything he made from this to the victims family. I know that some people think this is just part of his job, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I know from experience that he had a choice and I think he made a bad one.

[Deleted]

Ijack, you'd know better than me, but isn't the composition and zoom pretty on point? If he was just trying to alert the conductor, wouldn't his shot probably be more messed up?

Also, how long does it take to refresh a flash on a fancy camera like his? He couldn't have gotten many shots off in the time it took for the train to approach, right?

[ijack]

Um yeah, he nailed the photo - which makes me think he's lying. I mean most cameras have an automatic focus button that takes half a second to hit, but you wouldn't be hitting it in this situation.
I don't know how fast a train approaches (well, I do, but I don't know how long he had to warn the train), but he could have gotten off a couple shots easily.
I'm actually going to email H and see what his office thinks of this.

[Deleted]

It should have never made it to the cover of a large publication, and the wording on the cover doesn't help matters much. I find the wording to be more fucked up than the picture.

[Deleted]

Dec 5, 2012 10:42:53 GMT -5 papiercherri said:

It should have never made it to the cover of a large publication, and the wording on the cover doesn't help matters much. I find the wording to be more fucked up than the picture.

Again though, that's par for the course. The NY Post isn't exactly known for its class or restraint.

[cole]

I mentioned towards the end of the ML post yesterday, the picture reminds me of many Pulitzer Prize winners.

[Deleted]

It's gross.

[Deleted]

I don't know a lot about this story. Did no one try to help pull this man up?

[Deleted]

I saw this yesterday. It's so gross I don't have words.

[ECB]

I can't get on the "he should have tried to help" aspect of this. We weren't there - we don't know how fast this all happened, how fast that train was coming, etc.

I'm not going to necessarily say "he should have helped". There may have been nothing anyone could do in that moment. Plus, where was the guy who pushed him? If he was anywhere nearby still and a threat - I wouldn't want to take a chance that he'd push anyone who tried to help too!

But. Yeah, the rest of it. Taking the picture then SELLING IT, then the Post using it?

It makes me sick to my stomach.

[ijack]

Dec 5, 2012 10:45:43 GMT -5 v said:

Dec 5, 2012 10:42:53 GMT -5 papiercherri said:

It should have never made it to the cover of a large publication, and the wording on the cover doesn't help matters much. I find the wording to be more fucked up than the picture.

Again though, that's par for the course. The NY Post isn't exactly known for its class or restraint.

It's interesting because the one time H was recently in a situation that he was asked for a photo he wouldn't sell, the post was involved too.

[Deleted]

Dec 5, 2012 10:42:53 GMT -5 papiercherri said:

It should have never made it to the cover of a large publication, and the wording on the cover doesn't help matters much. I find the wording to be more fucked up than the picture.

I agree with all of this. I feel so bad for his family that has to see the final moments before their loved one was killed.

[gt7301b]

I doubt anyone could have helped the guy up and I don't fault them for not trying, especially with a crazy person who pushed the guy in the tracks near by.

I do think the photographer shouldn't have sold the photo.

[Deleted]

Dec 5, 2012 10:57:07 GMT -5 carrotsmakemefat said:

On Today he said he was on the other side of the platform. He didn't have enough time in those 22 seconds to run after the deceased. What I find disturbing is not his reactions, but that so many people COULD have helped because they were closer, but did nothing.

I don't blame him for taking the photo. The investigators looked at what he had and the Post's editors are the douchebags for publishing I

Other side of the platform doesn't make much sense. If he was far away, wouldn't the shot be at a very different angle unless he was hanging from the ceiling? Also, from the way the train is approaching it looks like they were both down towards the same end. Subway platforms in NY aren't that long.

Not saying he could have actually done anything that would have saved this guy's life -- just saying that his story doesn't really add up.

For those of you who take the subway -- most brilliant lifesaving tip I have ever read: If you fall on the tracks, don't try to climb back up because you'll likely not be able to do so in time. Run in the direction that the train goes to the far end of the tracks (past where the train would stop anyway) and flail your arms so the conductor sees you. And scream.

[Deleted]

Dec 5, 2012 11:04:06 GMT -5 carrotsmakemefat said:

Dec 5, 2012 10:39:59 GMT -5 v said:

Ijack, you'd know better than me, but isn't the composition and zoom pretty on point? If he was just trying to alert the conductor, wouldn't his shot probably be more messed up?

Also, how long does it take to refresh a flash on a fancy camera like his? He couldn't have gotten many shots off in the time it took for the train to approach, right?

He said he got may shots. If you put the camera on a certain mode, say sports, you can just click away continously. In 22 seconds he could have gotten at least that many shots

The guy is a freelance photog. He is used to getting shots on the fly.to play devils advocate, what about the person who sold their cell videos to the media? This is a very common now....and cheaper than employing full time personnel

To caveat this, I take a lot of photos for work, but I am not an expert. It was forced on me.

Selling cell videos to the media is just as bad.

You can get a lot of shots quickly if you aren't using a flash, but with flash there's usually a reload time. Or at least on my non-professional SLR there is.

[Bob Loblaw]

I think the worst part of that photo is how EMPTY the platform is in front of that man. Not one person nearby extending a hand to help? I get that people react differently and some people may have been frozen by fear. But everyone? Obviously I have no idea how I would handle it if I were there, but this just blows my mind.

[Deleted]

Dec 5, 2012 11:10:00 GMT -5 Bob Loblaw said:

I think the worst part of that photo is how EMPTY the platform is in front of that man. Not one person nearby extending a hand to help? I get that people react differently and some people may have been frozen by fear. But everyone? Obviously I have no idea how I would handle it if I were there, but this just blows my mind.

bystander effect. The more people present, the less likely you are to get help. It sucks.

[vanillacourage]

I've seen stories this morning that say the guy fell and there was a minute, maybe a minute and a half before he was hit. Even accounting for it taking some time for him to realize what was happening and get up off the ground to try to climb out, it seems long enough for SOMEONE to try to help him. I am also taken aback at how empty the platform around him is.

[Deleted]

Mav, it is between the tracks I think.

blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/10/subway_conductor_questions_answersed.php

[aspentosh]

Dec 5, 2012 11:10:00 GMT -5 Bob Loblaw said:

I think the worst part of that photo is how EMPTY the platform is in front of that man. Not one person nearby extending a hand to help? I get that people react differently and some people may have been frozen by fear. But everyone? Obviously I have no idea how I would handle it if I were there, but this just blows my mind.

This was my first thought. So terrible.

[whitepicketfence]

The whole thing is just so disturbing that I can't bring myself to think about it. It makes me sick to my stomach.

[definitelyO]

the story and the photo are both horrifying to me!

[mesop]

It's an awful tragedy, but the nyp photo and headline is sick. I keep thinking the guy's daughter has to see how her dad was the second before he got mutilated, and also know that absolutely no-one ran towards him to put out a hand to heave him up. I'm getting awfully upset here, but how do you trust the world after that (I have no idea how old his daughter is)

[karinothing]

I won't look at the picture, it is such a horrible story. The platform was really empty? I know we recently had an incident where a woman fell on the tracks in DC and a ton of people ran to help her. It is disgusting that this happned. My heart breaks for him and his family.

[ijack]

I just talked to H and all the photographers at his company agreed that they wouldn't have taken the picture, nor would they have sold it if they had.

[Deleted]

Dec 5, 2012 14:09:21 GMT -5 ijack said:

I just talked to H and all the photographers at his company agreed that they wouldn't have taken the picture, nor would they have sold it if they had.

Do they have an opinion on whether he could have gotten that particular photo from just snapping away to alert the conductor?

Also, do they have any idea how much this photographer may have gotten for the photo?

[karinothing]

There should be some emergency warning system where if someone falls on teh tracks someone can hit it and it flashes a big giant sign that says someone on tracks or wahtever. It could has a glass box you break, like some fire alarms. I guess people might just pull it for fun, but man it seems like this could be something avoidable.

[hellonurse]

Oh my goodness, that picture is horrifying.