The Pulitzer Prize is one of the biggest awards you can receive in the field of journalism. Many of the photographs and pieces that were awarded The Pulitzer Prize depict images of great tragedies, while others show great victory and great moments in American history. The short film, “A Glimpse of Life: The Pulitzer Prize” does an excellent job of bringing some of these images to light. Good pictures can be taken at any time. You could be walking down the street, and you could see something happen, and as a journalist you would start to take photographs. Sometimes as a journalist you are assigned to go somewhere and document a certain natural disaster or a big event like the olympics. For a photo to be considered for the Pulitzer Prize, there are many things that they would look at to determine whether or not your photograph is worthy. The picture being considered should be able to tell a story, which is what most, if not all, of the photographs in the film portrayed well.
Journalism isn’t just a job, there are real people going out and risking their lives every day to get a great photograph and a story that goes along with it. In the short film, there were a couple photographs, some more famous than others, that really stood out. One of these photographs was titled “Napalm Girl”, which was taken at the time of a napalm bombing during the Vietnam War. It shows a large cloud of smoke completely covering the horizon of the photograph, as well as five very frightened children. The girl in the center of the photo is naked and screaming as she is running away from the blast. There are also a few soldiers in the back walking away from the bombing as well. The picture really stood out because you can feel the emotion coming through the photograph, even years after it was taken, people are still moved by it. “If it makes you laugh. If it makes you cry. It’s a good photo. You look at a film and you see it and it’s over and it goes on the shelf. But a still picture is in front of you all the time… The most powerful weapon we have in the world is a still photograph.” -Eddie Adams.
Another photograph that stood out watching the film was “Western Cowboy” photographed by Erwin H. Hagler in 1980. This photograph shows a younger man, or cowboy, who is sitting on a table with a dinner plate in hand, and drinking out of a cup. This photo stood out more than other ones because it was different. You don’t see a picture of a cowboy everyday, which made it unique. Pictures that are selected for the Pulitzer Prize don’t always have to show sadness and heartbreak. In this case, it just tells a story, which is exactly why it was chosen. “Everyone has a story. And we sing their song. If we don’t do it — if the journalist doesn’t do it — who’s going to do it?” -John White.
Photojournalism itself is a very interesting and unique field to get into as a journalist. Without any words, or any real insight into the photograph, you get to look into the story that the picture is telling. The saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words” is spot on when you are describing photojournalism. Even though it may be risky for the journalist to go out and get the photographs, it makes everything worth while when the journalist behind the photo gets recognition like the Pulitzer Prize. Overall it gives them a chance to give people and situations a voice that they or it wouldn’t have otherwise, which is an amazing thing.
