When news broke about the capture-and-kill of former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, many mainstream news outlets said “Let’s wait for the pictures to prove it.” When the pictures and video that proved it began to surface, many mainstream news outlets at first were careful to show Gadhafi’s corpse.
Those photos and videos made it online, and eventually news outlets stopped warning viewers altogether, instead treating the grisly images like video game footage or everyday Flickr pics.
The Sun, the UK’s largest daily tabloid newspaper by circulation, has decided to go all out with its coverage: Chief Feature Writer Oliver Harvey on Monday was published posing with Gadhafi’s corpse.
(This is the cropped pic…click on the link above for full shot)
The Sun, a wholly owned subsidiary of News International, and by extension Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., isn’t exactly known for its taste and class. In addition to its false accusations of Elton John hiring rent boys and treating mental illness and homosexuality with the sensitivity of Archie Bunker, the paper infamously and inaccurately smeared the reputations of Liverpudlians in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster that led to the death of 96 soccer fans in 1989 (The Sun claimed some fans picked the pockets of crushed victims, while others pissed on members of the emergency services as they tried to help).
But if there is such a thing as solid reporting while posing with the corpse of a deposed leader like it’s no big thing, Harvey does an admirable job. He also filed this video from the scene:
One thing’s for sure: This guy has a great crouch.
So will posing with dead dictators be the newest craze after planking? It’s incredibly exclusive.
PREVIOUSLY IN GADHAFI COVERAGE:
• No More Moammar: Gadhafi Killed
• Eerie: Fox Sitcom from 1987 Accurately Predicted Moammar Gadhafi’s Death in 2011
• Pop Quiz: Who Is This Strapping Young Gentleman?