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The background to this image is that we were tipped off at Bedfordshire on Sunday, where I was the photographer for 9 years, that because the morgue at the Bedford Hospital was over flowing they were storing dead bodies on the carpeted floor of the Chapel of Rest. The truth of the matter was that this practice had been going on for a lot longer.
Myself and the now editor of the paper went down with the ‘deep throat’ one night and got see for ourselves, and that’s when this picture was taken. It made the Bedfordshire on Sunday splash, front page of the Sunday Telegraph on the same day (and I was interviewed for the top story on the six o’clock news that evening). It made The Mail and Mirror front pages on the Monday and went on to be published in every national newspaper. Questions were subsequently asked in Parliament and heads rolled at the hospital.
We had an arrangement with the management of BoS that photographs could be sold to a single national Sunday for publication on the same day as BoS.
The reproduction fees were shared between the news desk and myself, to the point that I had enough money to buy some kit and have a crack at freelancing, which I’ve been doing for six years now.
Without this picture I guess I’d still be in a safe staff job somewhere.
I am speechless and yet have no problem with you taking this. Soemtimes you get put in situations where the ethic kicks in and you put your camera down and help.
This is such a degradation and it was very important in my view that you recorded this. Specially as our news is usually sanitised and your really see dead bodies even though there are a lot of dead bodies in the news , print wise anyway , everyday.
If you are a cop and you allow shots of a decapitated motorist you get your ass kicked and why is that? We should not pussy around and images like this make a real difference , embarras those who are policy makes and who say how far the NHS has come sicne he took office! Ha , bloody ha.
Er what is that “ freelancers are globalisation greed merchants thing “ above this .
We all have to start somewhere , the market continues to shrink , it really is dog eat dog and only the tough and laterally thinking are going to survive. Thanks for this. Can’t think of any shot I ever took that actually made a difference beyong making someone feel happy about themsleves.
John
Comment #1 posted by johncoxon at 10 May, 08:01 PM