The use of the picture alongside the article 'Pain is etched on my soul, says stab victim's mum' really served to strengthen the headline and add a human dimension to the otherwise informational and formal article. It really expresses the complexity of the family's loss in a way that I think copy could not. In the picture the victim's mother looks on in distress with her family as she holds a photo of her late son. It really is a picture of grief, sadness and regret.
They say a picture can paint a thousand words and I really do feel that is the case with this picture of stab victim Stephen Lyne's family. It allows the reader to forecast the tone of the article and to get an immediate sense of what the accompanying story is about.
Obviously, The Irish Independent thought it would be a good idea to include an exclusive photograph of the family as they commissioned one of their photographers to go along to the trail in the first place as opposed to just using stock photos of the victim and his family that have already been used by other media outlets. Although this crime happened some time ago, the trial itself took place yesterday so using an old photograph of the victim, the murderer or the family alongside an article about the trial would not have been timely nor would it have been in context.
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