Apr 6, 2020The Grim Reaperby Michael Shaw We were told repeatedly we were ten days to two weeks behind Italy, but denial and disbelief have powerful effects. Alex Majoli’s shadowy portraits were already nightmarish when they were published in Vanity Fair ten days ago. But now that we in the U.S. …2 min read2 min read
Published in Vantage·May 30, 2019A Defining Image of Trump’s America: The Cage Sellerby Michael Shaw If you had to choose one photo to illustrate the immigration crisis, this is literally the money shot. In fact, Mark Peterson’s photograph, taken at a recent border security trade show (a revealing exercise in itself), might serve as the defining image of Trump’s America. It’s a…Politics3 min readPolitics3 min read
Published in Vantage·Apr 30, 2019How Climate Change Is and Isn’t Fueling the U.S. Border Crisis … and Why the Photos Aren’t that Simpleby Christa Olson You’ve seen pictures like these before. In early April, The New Yorker published a series of three by Jonathan Blitzer articles lushly illustrated with photographs by Mauricio Lima. Blitzer’s essays provide context for the recent surge in migration from Guatemala to Mexico and the United States. …Climate Change5 min readClimate Change5 min read
Published in Vantage·Apr 23, 2019The Barr Code: Why the Mueller Redactions Went Viralby Philip Perdue How fitting that, two years into Trump’s presidency and upon the final, but necessarily incomplete release of the Mueller Report, one of the most significant impressions of the document was pictographic. Usually reporting about a report involves careful verbal summary and synopsis, but in this case much…Politics5 min readPolitics5 min read
Published in Vantage·Apr 2, 2019The Meaning of Roseanne Barr in Jerusalemby KC McGinnis ONE OF THE reasons people go on pilgrimages is to find solace in arriving at a concrete destination. That may be why Roseanne Barr, the exiled TV star who cut her own explosive comeback short last year with a disastrous, racist tweet, made a surprising appearance at…Israel3 min readIsrael3 min read
Published in Vantage·Mar 31, 2019El Paso Refugee Camp, Awkward Mueller, Netanyahu MorphingThis week in ‘Chatting The Pictures’ — by Michael Shaw “The News” photo this week was taken by Sergio Flores for The Washington Post. At a makeshift detention center in El Paso, a surge of asylum seekers has been overwhelming Border Patrol and the U.S. immigration infrastructure. In this frame, we see how a news photograph…Politics2 min readPolitics2 min read
Published in Vantage·Mar 29, 2019Mulling on Mueller, Mo’ Beto, and So Much Posterizing: Our Social Weekby Rian Dundon With all the anxiety and anticipation over the Mueller Report, the release of a slight Justice Department summary exonerating Trump just led to a deeper foreboding. Bereft any lingering hope of the special prosecutor revealing something of immediate consequence for this administration, instead we were left with…Politics2 min readPolitics2 min read
Published in Vantage·Mar 28, 2019Trump and Reporters on the South Lawn: Getting Stranger by the Dayby Michael Shaw With the death of the White House press briefing and the presidential press conference, these South Lawn encounters are really all that’s left of a regular exchange between Trump and the press. The scene above, by Evan Vucci, could be called your standard fare — meaning, a…Donald Trump4 min readDonald Trump4 min read
Published in Vantage·Mar 15, 2019College Entrance Scandal; Venezuela Black Out; Beto Leibovitz 2020by Michael Shaw Welcome to the latest edition of Chatting the Pictures. In each 20-minute webcast, co-hosts Michael Shaw, publisher of Reading the Pictures, and writer and historian, Cara Finnegan, discuss three prominent photos in the news. The program is broken into three segments: “The News,” “The Look,” and…Politics2 min readPolitics2 min read
Published in Vantage·Mar 2, 2019Chatting the Pictures: Trump Kim Long Faces; Cohen’s Big Check; Billy Porter’s Oscar Stunnerby Michael Shaw Chatting the Pictures is a weekly, 20-minute webcast for which RTP publisher Michael Shaw is joined by writer and historian, Cara Finnegan to discuss three prominent photos in the news. The program is broken into three segments: “The News” examines a hard news image for its…Politics2 min readPolitics2 min read
