The cover of this week's Economist shows a protester from the
recent post-election demonstrations going on in Iran right now. The picture is not really a remarkable shot and the story is not exactly notable; news outlets throughout the world are covering this story (as best they can, I guess, given the limits placed on their reporting.) But it's interesting to note that the magazine chose a photo for their cover story of a protester wearing a mask. There could be many reasons for choosing a masked cover subject, including the green cloth which has significance in these protests. But I imagine the choice has to do with keeping the person featured in the photo safe from the authorities.
According to this article, a picture from the magazine's cover during
unrest there in 1999 had serious unintended consequences... The protester featured on that cover was subsequently found by authorities,
arrested, jailed, and tortured.
Obviously protesters in a state such as Iran assume considerable risk just by being in a protest. But it's scary to think that someone who unwittingly becomes the subject of photojournalism would get into so much trouble. And it begs the question how journalists ought to weigh the importance of their story against the safety of their subject.
Also, with the press earlier this month surrounding the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests, it makes me wonder if the subject of that photo was also targeted by his government.
