In the news business we don't like fake. We especially don't like faked. The recent stories about Obama re-enacting his speech for still photographers after he had already given the speech live on television puts a very bad taste in my mouth. It is simply wrong to put out something as real--when it is not. Even if it can be argued that no harm is done, or it really doesn't change the content or context really--if it isn't real--it should not be presented as such. Today I had to photograph a mock car accident...so what is the difference? Is this ok to do and present it as real. Well if I used this picture to illustrate an actually accident then yes. But this is 'play' put on so that high school students can get a little bit of knowledge about what an accident scene looks like. I'll admit, when I was young this sort of thing seemed ridiculous to me--especially because I knew the 'actors' and knew what they were doing. It really had no impact on me...though I guess it did remind me once again to be careful behind the wheel and not do anything stupid. Well we all do stupid things and sometimes--probably most times-- we get away with it. But today I was at this mock accident scene and it affected me a lot more...maybe because I've been to dozens of actual accident scenes covering them for stories for the paper. I could see where if this was real--just how real it is. Now I took this picture today, but would never take a picture like this at an actual accident scene. As journalist I need to tell a story, but I don't need to be interfering with or getting in the way of the emergency personnel doing important work. I shot this with a wide angle lens to get the 'victim' in the foreground, the crowd watching and the helicopter coming in for a landing. I was nearly in the car myself. The emergency folks wouldn't let me get this close normally and frankly I wouldn't even try. I can tell the story from a distance without being intrusive. The only way I would take a picture like this is if the story somehow demanded it be done this way and I was given access, but if we're ever to that point in this country where pictures like this need to be taken, we're going to be in a pretty bad place in our history. So I hope I'm never in that situation. I'd much rather photograph a nice happy afternoon little league game with a faint scent of apple pie in the air. Meadville Tribune photograph by Richard Sayer.