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Restoring the centrality of the human cost in media coverage is not merely a journalistic duty: it is a moral imperative to preserve our collective conscience in the face of violence. War will remain a reality of human history. Unfortunately, there is little we can do about it. But the way we tell its story— the way we choose to reveal or conceal its truth— says everything about the kind of society we want to be.
Showing suffering is not glorifying violence. It is refusing to let violence become trivial. It is reminding those who make decisions— and those who elect them— that behind every frontline map, behind every animated arrow, there are human beings. Who had a first name. A family. A life.
The next time you watch a news broadcast during wartime, ask yourself a simple question: where are the dead? If you don’ t see them, ask yourself why.
Hubert Marlin Elingui Jr. Journalist
Flashmag! Edition 173 Juin 2026
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