A Tragic Image, A Battle Royale, A Harrowing Report | Winners & Losers in Today’s Green Room

Photojournalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Lynsey Addario explained to CBS News why she took a photo of four civilians, including two small children, after they were killed by Russian forces on Sunday.

The New York Times printed the shocking front page image on Monday, which was taken in the city of Irpin, Ukraine.

The image showed the four civilians immediately after they were killed by as they attempted to cross a bridge to enter Kyiv.

CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell spoke with Addario on Monday about the image, and the emotions she experienced while taking it.

“I went forward and found a place sort of behind a wall and started photographing, and, in fact, within minutes, a series of mortars fell increasingly closer and closer to our position, until one landed about 30 feet from where I was standing, and it killed a mother and her two children,” she said.

O’Donnell noted the image is “proof of civilians being targeted” by Russian troops.

She asked, “What did you make of when you saw this family up close?”

Addario explained she thought of her own children as she documented the tragedy.

“I mean, I’m a mother, and, you know, I–when I’m working, I try to stay very focused, I try to keep sort of the camera to my eyes, she said. “When we were told that we could run across the street by our security advisor, I ran and I saw this family splayed out, and I saw these little moon boots and puffy coat, and I just thought of my own children.”

“It’s disrespectful to take a photo, but I have to take a photo. This is a war crime,” she said.

It’s a moving account, and a stunning, terrible, tragic photo. An historic photo.

Addario wins because she’s right. It is disrespectful. It is unfair. But it was important to do, and she took that task and let the world see the abominations taking place.

Reporters revolted when Associated Press White House correspondent Josh Boak signaled the end of White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki’s briefing while others still had questions to ask — after just 39 minutes of Q&A.

At Monday’s White House press briefing, New York Post correspondent Steven Nelson and Chicago Sun-Times Washington Bureau Chief Lynn Sweet led a revolt after Boak said “Thanks, Jen,” which is the traditional way to declare the end of the briefing, and Ms. Psaki left after one final shouted question.

As Mediaite’s compiled audio/video of the confrontation shows, things got very heated.

Mr. Nelson challenged Boak, and Ms. Sweet joined in. “There are five rows back here and none of us were called on,” said another reporter, adding to the debate.

At this point, others began to shout at Boak and the first two rows to “have some courtesy” and limit their questions. And to Boak’s point, at the moment he called the briefing, there had only been 39 minutes of questions and answers — all of which came from the first two rows.

Boak told them “Look, if you want to yell at me, I’m in the booth. You can do that there.”

White House Correspondents Association President Steve Portnoy tagged in and tried a more conciliatory approach, but the debate raged for another ten minutes.

Even when Psaki doesn’t get to everyone, there is normally a sense that she’s making an effort to be equitable.

That didn’t happen yesterday, as the first two rows hogged all the questions, especially the front row. Fully two-thirds of the briefing passed before the second row even got a question, and then the front row struck again. When confronted, Boak did a terrible job of handling it.

There isn’t a simple solution, as Mediaite’s Tommy Christopher explains, but “defensive and haughty” is maybe the least close to a solution one can get.