Arthur Fellig, better known as Weegee, was a photographer and photojournalist in 1930s and 40s New York. He documented crime scenes, gangster arrests, and the crowd’s reactions to crimes almost in a glorified fashion. He published a photography book, as well as created an art exhibit of his grisly photography in 1941 entitled “Murder is My Business.” Although Fellig died in the 1960s, the International Center of Photography in New York had an exhibit under the same name that basically recreated the 1941 exhibit. The continued interest in Fellig’s work shows that America’s fascination with murder and crime is still strong, and quite possibly the dramatized crime scene photos provide some sort of satisfaction in times where crime scenes are heavily protected and more scientifically photographed than in the past.
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I think this is a very fascinating topic to point out. Weegee’s work, mixing journalism with entertainment, demonstrates how, in some sense, journalism can be more focused on commodification and creating a story and narrative that elicits emotion to gain a specific response. I think it’s important to note that, while I agree that crime scenes have become much stricter now than in his time, similar techniques and events still occur. I think this raises ethical questions regarding journalism; is the intention to show what’s most authentic, or are there alternative motives revolving around success for the industry that can exploit tragedies and skew reality?