Streitmatter writes how news organizations have influenced history through an “eagerness to harness the power of visual images.” Pictures can tell a news story in a way that words cannot, and these images can reach across the world in an instant with our access to social media.

Thankfully, we have the ability to go back in time and see what the social, political and economic climate was through the images that were distributed through print and broadcast media.

Our history today is being written through visual images. We see photos of children in Syria during chemical warfare, or photos of Boston Marathon runners after the bombing. While at times these images can be hard to swallow, it is important we understand that our ability to see the world at all times is a privilege.

Think of how we would view the world without being able to view the world. Journalism continues to tell history in both a written and visual narrative, and journalists use of the visual image will continue to captivate people from the present and inform them of the past.