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Collegedale News 4
Mental Health 7
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Opinion 8
Religion 8
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The Southern Accent Update of the week page 3 A new era of learning: Southern to offer Doctor of Education degree
Volume 81 Issue 08
The Student Voice Since 1926
Pressing Issue page 2 Senate prompts student involvement with the new “You Matter” Initiative
Collegedale, Tennessee
November 5, 2025
Unveiling the scars of war
SAN ANTONIO, TX - AUGUST 08: Burn patient Spc. Bobby Bernier, 26, displays scar tissue from skin grafts at the U.S. Army burn center on August 8, 2012 in San Antonio, Texas. Bernier, a U.S. Army artileryman, was burned over much of his body on May 18, 2012 when Taliban insurgents attacked his unit in Nangahar, Afghanistan, wounding himself and a comrade and killing two of his fellow soldiers. The facility, officially called the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research Burn Center, has treated more than 930 military personel burned during combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq since 2003 and is the only burn center under the U.S. Department of Defense. It has also treated some 2,500 civilian emergency burn patients from the South Texas region. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images).
Pulitzer-winning photographer, John Moore, to speak at Southern's convocation on Thursday, November 6 Hayden Kobza Editor-in-Chief Kyla Wetmore Reporter Yoly Viera Contributor From Afghanistan and Iraq to India and Bosnia, John Moore, a senior staff photographer and special correspondent for Getty Images, has covered wars around the world during his work as a conflict photographer. After spending
Portrait of John Moore. (Photo courtesy of John Moore).
a considerable amount of time photographing people in combat, Moore felt it was his duty to portray what happens after the conflict, when the headlines have been published, and the news cycle has moved on. “These millions of Americans have worn the uniform, and many are often forgotten,” Moore said in a recent interview with the Accent. “It's important for me to show that the fighting that was done was only a sliver of their life; the rest of their lives await afterward. And I think, as a photojournalist, it's important to show the totality, and not just a small piece—a small, violent piece—of someone's life.” As Veterans Day approaches on Nov. 11, Southern has invited Moore to speak at this week’s Convocation. The event will be held at 11 a.m., Thursday, in the Iles P.E. Center. Students, faculty, staff and community members are invited to attend. The 2005 Pulitzer Prize winner for Breaking News Photography during the Associated Press’s Iraq War coverage will present a collection of photos depicting veterans, aiming to dignify those who return from their duty not only with physical injuries, but with invisible struggles as well. Moore, who resides in Stamford, Connecticut, joined Getty Images in
2005 and has documented conflict and migration in more than 70 countries on six continents. In addition to his Pulitzer Prize, the University of Texas at Austin graduate won five World Press Photo honors, including the 2019 “Photo of the Year” for “Crying Girl on the Border,” and the 2025 photo “Night Crossing.” He has also been awarded the Robert Capa Gold Medal for courage from the Overseas Press Club and the Robert F. Kennedy journalism award for his longterm immigration coverage. Published in 2018, Moore is the author of “Undocumented: Immigration and the Militarization of the United States-Mexico Border”. “Although I’ve concentrated on immigration issues for the last few years, I've also worked covering conflict, and part of that coverage has been my continued photography on veterans' issues,” Moore said. The New York Times and other media outlets have described Moore’s work as humanizing—a descriptor he said can be complicated to recognize when absent, as each instance of dehumanization is situationally dependent. “I think it’s important for viewers to see the people I photograph as fellow human beings,” Moore said. “And that might sound simplistic, but oftentimes, when we see the news, we see it in
terms of statistics, and people will really only care about a story and the people I photograph if I can establish some sort of human connection.” According to Moore, a key part of humanizing people in photography is establishing trust with the subject. Moore discussed how people can generally determine if someone is trustworthy by the way the person approaches them, even if there is a language barrier. He also warned about taking photos without the proper level of consent, which can leave the subject intimidated. In spot news, where coverage is on the street or during events, Moore said photojournalists can photograph almost anything, but emphasized that in more private situations, it’s important for them to reach out to the subject first. “We’ve all seen pictures where the subject of the photo looks uncomfortable or self-conscious,” he said. “That’s always a danger in this profession; we have to establish a certain level of trust very quickly with those we photograph, and often that’s a skill that one learns over time.” Some students at Southern expressed appreciation for the upcoming Convocation’s focus on Moore’s work with veterans. See Unveiling on page 3
“I think it ’s important for viewers to see the people I photograph as fellow human beings.” - John Moore