Saturday, July 26, 2008

Drowned Roma Girls: "The Picture that Shames Italy". A Prejudiced Distortion

The ANNOTICO Report

 

The European Newspapers in their sensationalist and anti-Italian manner have made a small tragedy, one of Epic proportions, and portray the Italians as crass and without care. There have been a torrent of these denigrating stories for the last week.

 

The Reports are that two Roma girls drowned in the surf, and were left to lie un cared for, while beach goers appeared indifferent.

 

Now, the Photographer states that  "the picture that shames Italy". was cropped, telescopic and the reportage distorted the situation.

 

 "Several holiday makers jumped into the water to try to save the two (Roma) girls, who did not know how to swim", and then covered the bodies as they lay on the beach for about an hour until coffins were brought in. Many people either lent a hand or left the beach after the incident.

 

It would have been un seemingly for people to be gathered around the bodies like vultures, or from morbid curiosity.

 

Other bathers  respectfully kept their distance, until ambulances arrived to transport the girls to the morgue.

 

The  use of a telephoto lens made the sunbathers on the beach at Torregavata north of Naples look closer to the bodies than they in fact were.

 

Pic Reveals Half-Truth

 

I Africa

Fri, 25 Jul 2008

A picture of two drowned Roma girls lying amid sunbathers on an Italian beach  which sparked a wave of criticism against Italy  did not tell the whole story, the photographer said on Friday.

The photo  published in several European newspapers  showed Italians sunbathing, talking on cellphones and apparently ignoring the nearby corpses, which were partially covered by beach towels with their feet poking out.

"I took several pictures  some showed holidaymakers going about their business, on others people were visibly concerned, or were helping to carry the coffins," Alessandro Garofalo told AFP.

Garofalo (30)  who works for the Naples daily Il Mattino  added: "On the photographs which the foreign newspapers picked out, everybody seemed indifferent.

"But in reality, only about half the people present acted as if nothing had happened, but many people either lent a hand or left the beach after the incident."

He added that his use of a telephoto lens made the sunbathers on the beach at Torregavata north of Naples look closer to the bodies than they in fact were.

British newspaper, The Independent was typical in adverse comments  calling the image "the picture that shames Italy".

But Garofalo said "several holidaymakers jumped into the water to try to save the two girls, who did not know how to swim", and then covered the bodies as they lay on the beach for about an hour until coffins were brought in.

 

http://news.iafrica.com/worldnews/1047240.htm

 

The ANNOTICO Reports Can be Viewed (With Archives*) on:

Blog: www.AnnoticoReport.com

Italia USA: www.ItaliaUSA.com * [Formerly Italy at St Louis]

Italia Mia: www.ItaliaMia.com *

Topix.net: www.topix.net/world/italy

Annotico Email: annotico@earthlink.net