Uproar over murdered Sunny Luke’s photo award 2024-03-31 02:00:35

The stark and raw image of the body of the 22-year-old German-Israeli woman — who was abducted on October 7 during the Supernova music festival — was among a collection of 20 images that helped the Associated Press news agency secure the top spot in one of the international Pictures of the Year award categories earlier this month.

The awards, which are organized by the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism, bill themselves as the oldest photojournalism competition in the world.

News of the AP’s win in the Team Picture Story of the Year category sparked a backlash on social media, with some blasting the distinction and the use of Sunny Luke’s image.

“I am disgusted, shocked and outraged that this @AP image of the murdered Shani Louk from October 7th was named photo of the year,” wrote one user on X. “Is this what Israeli women are worth to you?” added features. “This is just sick and wrong,” wrote another.

Sunny Louk unfortunately became one of the faces of the Hamas attack on October 7, as shocking images of her body in the back of the terrorist organization’s truck went viral.

Israeli authorities later confirmed that the young woman had been tragically beheaded by her captors.

Announcing AP’s win, award organizers posted the unblurred photo of Luke’s body on her Instagram page. The photo, however, appears to have since been deleted following the backlash.

As outrage over the AP award grew on social media, some users argued that the pageant dishonored Luke’s memory by pulling the photo.

“The victim’s family wants us to remember her alive and smiling. One of the biggest photojournalism awards in the world, organized by @RJI, violated their wishes by awarding a photo of @AP with her mutilated body,” wrote one user on X.

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