In the latest example of aggressive pre-digestion of infomration by mainstream media, the editor of an unnamed major news outlet is calling one of the iconic photos of former President Donald Trump "propaganda," according to Fox News.
The news broke that the former president was shot in the side of the head almost simultaneous to the historic photos hitting the internet, thanks to the magic cellular service and other forms of communications at the site of the attack.
While no one is claiming that the photo is not entirely accurate and a correct depiction of the events of the day, one major editor doesn't want a photo of Trump with blood on his face, looking defiant, to make the rounds any longer.
According to a source, an unnamed picture editor at a major news organization believes that it is "dangerous" for the media to promote the historic photo.
The photo in question was of former President Trump standing up after the assassination attempt that occurred on Saturday. The photo editor also believed that the media group he works for would be providing "free PR" for the Trump campaign.
According to an Axios media trend assessment published on Tuesday, the iconic image's "overuse" can "pose risks."
The report cites unnamed photographers who allegedly told the outlet that promoting the viral photos could be a type of "photoganda" because the Trump campaign will make use of them to "further their agenda, despite the photographers' intent of capturing a news event."
Trump was battered to the ground at a rally on Saturday when a gunshot grazed his right ear, but the photograph recorded his defiant reaction seconds later.
As the Secret Service escorted the former president off the platform, an American flag flew over his head, and blood splattered across his face, he raised a fist to the cheering crowd.
Photojournalist Evan Vucci of the Associated Press shot the iconic shot that quickly became the talk of the internet and made headlines across the world.
A picture editor and photographer "from a major news outlet" reportedly told Axios that the media shouldn't use the shot "despite how good it is" because it would put the former president in a positive light.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Vucci has covered thousands of events like this for the AP since 2003. He told Fox News Digital that he knew he was witnessing a historic moment as shots were fired at the former president.
Vucci told Fox News Digital on Monday from Milwaukee, where he was preparing to photograph the Republican National Convention, "I was literally just thinking about doing the best possible job I could, because I knew that this was a moment in American history that I had to be at the top of my game for."
"The amount that publications have been using Evan's photo is kind of free PR for Trump in a way, and it's dangerous for media organizations to keep sharing that photo despite how good it is," the editor told the outlet.
The shot after the shot, which has been hailed as instantly iconic, is expected to appear on the cover of Time magazine's upcoming print edition.
One of the most divisive, admired, and hated political figures in American history, Trump, could be eternally altered in the eyes of some, according to some analysts.
According to Fox News, The Washington Post’s art critic, Phillip Kennicott, called it "a photograph that could change America forever."
