"Atesh!" ("Fire!")

Here is a story from the Wall Street Journal revealing the identity of a photographer Jahangir Razmi (above) who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1980 for this photograph, which he took following the Iranian Revolution:

“Firing Squad in Iran, 1979"

The photograph, which shows Iranian troops executing Kurds after a summary trial, is one of a series of 70 images that Razmi produced. It was initialaly published in the newspaper Ettela'at in Tehran. At the time Razmi's name was not noted for fear that the regime would retaliate against him. My understanding is that this is the only instance in which a Pulitzer was awarded anonymously.

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PS: Here is a further political question. Apparently standard policy at the WSJ is that only subscribers have access to full text articles. However, they have waived that requirement in this instance according to this blogger. What might motivate this editorial decision given the current political relationship between Iran anad the U.S.? While the news staff at the WSJ is regularly lauded as excellent, their editorial staff is equally well noted for being very rightward leaning. Just curious.

PS2: Given this story it is perhaps appropriate to call attention to the political travails of journalists and photographers. A good place to start is Reporters Without Borders. Coincidently, yesterday the Committee to Protect Journalists issued this press release - "Internet fuels rise in number of jailed journalists: CPJ census also finds more held without charge or due process."