What the Reynolds Journalism Institute Missed About a Naked Raped Israeli Victim and Ali Mahmood's Prize

On October 7, Hamas thought of everything. Think of the logistics necessary to accomplish the single largest massacre of Jews in the last 80 years. The terrorists, the weapons, the knives needed to stab and mutilate, the willing male bodies of 3,000 depraved sexually abnormal men who could take sadistic pleasure in raping, mutilating, burning and beheading, and, of course, they needed body cameras to document their barbarity and, hey. let's talk reporters and photographers along.

And now, one of those photographs, taken by Ali Mahmoud, has won the prize as picture of the year. Yes, really. 

Mahmood's carefully and artistically framed abomination shows showed the nearly naked and mutilated corpse of Shani Louk after she has been raped, striped, spat upon and now paraded through the streets of Gaza. 

The accompanying description of the circumstances that brought Mahmoud to sudden fame and perhaps fortune (disclaimer: I can't be bothered to look what the Reynolds Journalism Institute pays its winners) is nearly as offensive as the photo. “Palestinian militants drive back to the Gaza Strip with the body of Shani Louk, a German-Israeli dual citizen, during their cross-border attack on Israel, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023.”

A "cross-border" attack? More accurately, any one of the following terms would be more appropriate: genocide, massacre, terrorism - in fact, ALL of these words don't do October 7 justice. To call it a cross-border attack is as inappropriate as giving Ali Mahmoud recognition for violating international law, human decency, and humanity, not to mention violating Shani Louk. His picture is no less a form of rape than the rape of the monsters in this picture.

As Ali Mahmoud knew in advance enough to take his camera along on the Saturday morning "outing", that would imply knowledge of a crime about to be committed. In a normal world, that would be considered a crime. In the Reynolds world of journalism, apparently that warrants a prize.

But tell me, Shani Louk was a private person attending a dance festival. Did she sign a waiver or permission for good old Ali-boy to take her picture? I'm hoping her family has the strength to sue Mahmood and Reynolds for millions of dollars, if not more.

And tell me, what does it say about good old Reynolds and the institute that a woman's nearly naked body is nothing more than a prop in a picture to be judged and rated.

And tell me, where is the humanity of the judges who felt it appropriate to award a prize to an accomplice of murder, a man who did nothing to save a young Jewish woman, a man who stole from her even that last bit of respect.

And tell me, where is the world? You don't understand why in Israel it is still October 7. How Hamas was right in predicting that they would make every day October 7. At first we thought it was predicting additional massacres, and perhaps that is what they meant. 

But despite being in their own death throes (does pure evil actually die?), they were correct, their mission accomplished. It is October 7 and every day is agony but perhaps the Reynolds Journalism Institute actually managed an even greater feat. They managed to hurt our souls, already in pain, to an even deeper level and for that I congratulate them.

They say power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I have learned with the release of this year's POY (Photo of the Year) by Reynolds Journalism Institute - that depravity and inhumanity, like power, spread as well.

The guilt, the depravity and the inhumanity of the massacre lives in Ali Mahmood - as it does in all who awarded a prize that dehumanized an innocent girl taken from a party celebrating life and light and peace.

In the aftermath of October 7, I have come to accept the savage and barbaric message Hamas wanted to deliver. There is no solution, no option for peace.

I would assume, given enough time and embarrassment, the Reynold Journalism Institute might yet realize the enormity of their own inhumanity...but for a broken and pain-filled Israel, it is too late.

Our memory is eternal - as is your shame, Reynolds School of Journalism.

One final word - while I am appalled at the Reynolds Institute's actions, I am grateful, to some measure, to Ali Mahmoud. Thanks for taking pictures so that we have a better sense of who we need to target...and likely have already.