The third and final debate between the 2008 U.S. presidential nominees had just ended. Democratic nominee Senator Barack Obama and Republican nominee Senator John McCain had just shaken hands moments before and turned away from each other, when Senator McCain suddenly lunged forward with his hands out in front of him and stuck out his tongue.
It appeared to me that McCain was reacting to moderator Bob Schieffer informing him that he was headed the wrong way off the stage, that he was not supposed to be following Senator Obama, but was supposed to be heading towards his own wife and family around the other side of the table.
In any case, when I saw McCain lunge and his hands start to come up I hit the shutter and made two frames before it was over. Some other photographers who were there expressed surprise when they saw my picture and said they had never seen it happen at all and asked when it had occurred. When I saw the television tape of it later on the news I too was surprised at how momentary and fast the move by Senator McCain was. Strangely enough Senator McCain again stuck his tongue out in a similar way 3-4 minutes later while standing between his wife Cindy and Senator Obama at the front of the stage, a moment captured by my colleague Shannon Stapleton and other wire service photographers in attendance and once again shown on national and international television.
The picture, as with all my pictures that night, was remotely edited by an editor off site, viewing my pictures as I shot them over the internet and working with other editors who processed and captioned the pictures along with photos from the other three Reuters photographers shooting the debate. This photo was just one of 40 of my pictures that were transmitted on the Reuters wire from this debate and one of more than 100 from our crew of photographers, which included Gary Hershorn, Shannon Stapleton, Jim Young and Carlos Barria.
By the time I got back to my hotel room that night people were already discussing the photo on the internet and by the next morning my email inbox was filling with messages about the picture. Some people complimented me on the photo while others strongly criticized both myself and Reuters for shooting and transmitting a news photo of a very public moment that had taken place in front of more than 60 million television viewers at the culmination of a major and historic public event.
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Congratulations Jim, Is a World Press Photo award if I have to vote for you. All photojournalists that are shooting the camera trigger and spending the time with politics are jelaous of you in a very very positive way. And a handshake for editors. You are our mesianic master.
Good luck and don’t give for the negative karma of many hipocratics.
from Europe, all the best.
- Posted by Delmi Alvarezdelmi alvarez
To Howard Smith:
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I do not believe that Yahoo edits photographs. I surmise that Reuters’ transmitted a cropped version of Jim’s original image. Further proof of that is that they carried both the cropped version as well as the image that shows Obama.
- Posted by Andy NThis image is too good to be true. It’s extremely telling in terms of where the presidential campaign is heading, with Obama coolly showing the way and McCain clumsily, grumpily, stumbling after.
- Posted by Stefan StormTo Howard Smith. It is not defamatory to use any photograph you can take from a public event such as this one. I have not seen the caption and, yes, captions can be defamatory. But photographers take what pictures they can and presumably choose the one that is the most newsworthy.
I cannot agree with your view that the photograph of the Vietnam general executing a prisoner should not have been sent because it was ‘not representative’ of what was happening. How can you justify that? And does this not put the photographer in the business of censorship?
- Posted by Chris StephenSenile chorea? Could be, and could be very serious.
- Posted by SFR DanielDon’t get it? It’s an exellent shot, taken in a exellent moment. So what he is a presidential candidate, the shot is just beauriful. You just analyze it too much
Atleast from a Finnish perspective, thousands of kilometres away
- Posted by KalmakampelaEarth to Jim, great picture and on a parr with Kevin Lamraque’s picture of Bush and the turkey. Well done for capturing the moment, both of you.
- Posted by Russell[...] expect, the blogosphere went wild with transformations of this image: see the WFMU site and cry. Read the photographer’s own account of the editorial process, and a blog debate on the ethics of [...]
- Posted by more Palinalia and McCainitiesDoes anyone remember the Howard Dean scream that destroyed his campaign? This is similar. People and press who attended and covered the rally were not aware that the yell was a worthwhile story. But it was made after the fact.
- Posted by ImranThe picture was used by many european as an visualization of the election in general (that night included): McCain trying to catch up with Obama - the stupid grimace is just pure bonus. He has, even by neutral standards, been looking stupid, and is most of the time one step behind the opposition.
All these things are summed up by that fantastic picture.
TK/Denmark
- Posted by Tommy KristensenGreat photo! Good look in World Press!! News photo of the year!
- Posted by Christian/Oslo/NorwayMr Bourg, thanks a million for a moment of humor caught in the midst of all the mudslingin’ and trash talkin’. I’m glad you’ve shared this awesome shot with fellow citizens of planet Earth.
Mr Howard Smith, I recommend you lighten up and have fun with this instead of being so righteously concerned about things that don’t really matter that much. You’re gonna stress yourself out! Really… take a step back and look at what is happening in the world. Is the publication of a funny photo that much of a problem? Maybe we should focus on saving the world or something… yes, that what we should do!
- Posted by Darren MA similarity to the publicity afforded to Gov. H. Dean, when he got carried away with the cheering at his recent primary. It was picked up by the media and eventually caused him to relinquish the goal of nomination.
- Posted by EScottTo Frank,
I wanted to leave my political leanings out of this, but no, I am not a Republican hack. I am a registered independent who is voting for Obama. While I do not like Senator McCain, I do not want to see him unjustly ridiculed. Let’s leave it at that.
To Dave, sorry about all the hot air, I am not a good writer, and yes you are very correct in your point that a public person looses his rights when it comes to protecting himself from a defamatory photo compared to a person who is not a public figure.
I still stand by my assertion that without the caption there is no way of telling what Senator McCain is doing in this photo. If the photo was taken from another angle showing that Senator McCain was reacting to the moderator I would feel better about it, but it is not. As I have written before, it looks like Senator McCain is about to grab Senator Obama’s posterior. Because of this, the photo is defamatory (not actionable), and should not have been moved.
Perhaps Yahoo News got it right when they cropped out Senator Obama from the photo since he did nothing but confuse the viewer as to what was going on at the time. While still needing a caption to inform the reader as to Senator McCain’s reaction, it does not give a false impression as to why he is reacting the way he is.
- Posted by Howard SmithAmazing photograph! I wonder if he has been checked out for a stroke?
- Posted by Helen SmithI think if the world were to conform to Howard Smith’s ideals, we would all die of boredom. Loosen your pants a little Mr Smith
- Posted by Five Times[...] from the third and final debate, sticking his tongue out as he turns away from Obama. Here are some thoughts on the photo from the man who captured it. And here’s a funny photoshop of the [...]
- Posted by Notes for 10/19/2008 at MasterMaq’s BlogAn open letter to Howard Smith,
I will not waste everyone’s time with a lengthy, bag of hot air like you have in protest to the transmittal of this photo. I have only one thing to say to you, Howard:
If you are a public figure and you are photographed during ab ab embarrassing moment such as this, it WILL be published… no matter what. Thanks for trying to act as the moral barometer here, but it doesn’t matter what you say. Any celebrity can will tell you that once you become a figure of public interest, you give up your right to privacy.
Nuff said.
DC
- Posted by Dave ChurillaMcCain is well known as a jokester, I think this was a feeble attempt to try an humiliate Obama, but trying to make it seem like a joke.
- Posted by MarthaSeems to me he was trying to look like a dog ready to pounce on Obamas behind.
I think it was a great photo and one that people had better take a close look at in perspective of just what McCain may be as a President.
Any one remember how kids would make faces behind their teachers back, sending their classmates into hysterical laughter?
I think this was what McCain was trying to do, one problem though, he is not a grammar school kid, He could be our next President!
I agree with the comments about the tongue thrust being an indicator of something being amiss with McCain’s health. I have thought that several times of late. On top of that he doesn’t seem too fluent when speaking. Probably tired I guess but it’s worrying.
- Posted by IanM