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Charleroi mayor wants World Press Photo to take back award
Mayor of Charleroi Paul Magnette wants World Press Photo to withdraw its award given to the photographer who staged photos of the city and its inhabitants. To this end, Magnette has written to The New York Times and the jury of World Press Photo, reports De Standaard. The winners of the World Press Photo 2014 awards were announced in mid-February.
One of the winners is Italian photographer Giovanni Troilo, who went to Charleroi to shoot a series of photographers under the title La Ville Noire (The Black City). Magnette was reportedly "surprised and confused” when he heard that Troilo had won first prize, calling the photos "a severe distortion of reality, and detrimental to the city, its inhabitants and the profession of photojournalism,” writes De Standaard.
A spokesperson for the mayor said that Magnette’s reaction comes after similar reactions by professional photographers who were also dismayed by the photos of Charleroi. Magnette has asked the jury to consider withdrawing the award.
Comments
Shows the place to be dump. It is.
>>Troilo, who went to Charleroi to shoot a series of photographers>>
Hmm ... how many dead photographer bodies are there on the Charleroi pavement now? ;-)
How does one spell C E N S O R S H I P ?
I don't like your cartoon. I don't like your photograph. I don't like your article. What is this nonsense. We live in a free society. Free speech is enshrined in our European values.
If the mayor does not like the photo, he should work at changing the subject of the image, not demanding that the photo award be revoked! This is an outrage.
I would say that the reaction of this small-minded mayor is instead 'detrimental' to the profession of those elected to govern.
Well said, Gellis.
I was in Charleroi a couple of times several years ago and felt I was in the 3rd world. It didn't look anything like a Western European town.