ordigger said:
Here is the information for the Editor that is behind this decision. Time to stand up eGriz and voice your displeasure.
Kathy Best
[email protected]
(406) 523-5258
In response to my email:
Thank you for your note.
We are not using the photo of Reese Phillips to generate clicks; if we were, it would not be the last photo in a gallery of 29 photos. We are using it because it is news and was the most significant news to come out of Saturday’s contest. The picture, while difficult to look at, leaves no doubt that Phillips suffered a career-ending injury.
More than 20,000 people witnessed his injury; thousands more saw coverage on television. I agree that the injury is appalling. But the injury was caused by the game, not by the Missoulian’s photographer. Football can be a brutal sport, as evidenced by the brain injuries that players suffer. That is a reality and it is something players choose to accept when they volunteer to play.
If we show the glory of the game, which we do every single week with our Game Day special section, our game coverage and our features leading up to the weekly contests, we also have an obligation to show the darker side of the sport. Yes, it’s hard to look at. But we strove to be as respectful of Phillips as we could be. We did not show his face or photos of him writhing in agony. And we removed the photo from Instagram because we could not provide the same context that existed on our website.
I respect the fact that you may not agree with our decision, which was not an easy one for us. But I hope it lets you know that it was not a decision made lightly nor one that had anything to do with clicks.
Regards,
Wow, just wow......