Photo District News

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More than 5 million people have died as a result of the war in Eastern Congo that is being fought over the region's mineral resources. As a U.N. report noted a year ago, armed groups are profiting from the mining of gold and minerals such as tin, tantalum and tungsten "that are used principally in the global electronics trade." Enough Project, the anti-genocide initiative of the Center for American Progress, is trying to create consumer demand for "conflict free" electronics, including cameras, computers and cell phones. John Prendergast, co-founder of Enough Project, talked to PDN about the campaign.

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Long, long ago, when picture magazines arrived in millions of homes once a week, and people still read newspapers, a news photo could have an immediate impact on public opinion. Images of fire hoses turned on men and women wanting to exercise their right to vote mobilized thousands of voter registration volunteers. An image of a naked girl running down a road to flee a napalm bombing curdled public opinion about an already unpopular war. But in today’s fractured media, with so few publications showing serious photography, can a photo really make a difference?

The answer, according to participants in the panel discussion held last night at the VII Photo agency office, is yes. Each panelist—a Congressional aide, a human rights activist and a photojournalist—gave examples of the surprising and sometimes unexpected ways that photos of human rights issues have moved individuals to take action.
 

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