Editor at 'major news outlet' tells media to bury iconic photo of Trump after assassination attempt: report

An unnamed photo editor at a major news outlet believes it is "dangerous" for the media to highlight the historic photo of former President Trump standing tall after the assassination attempt Saturday, calling it "free PR" for the Trump campaign, according to a report.

An Axios media trend assessment on Tuesday argued that the "overuse" of the iconic image can "pose risks," citing unnamed photographers who reportedly told the outlet that promoting the viral photos could be a form of "photoganda" because the Trump campaign will use them to "further their agenda, despite the photographers' intent of capturing a news event."

The image captured Trump’s defiant reaction seconds after a bullet grazed his right ear, and he was pummeled to the ground at a rally on Saturday. The former president is seen raising a fist to the crowd of supporters as he was rushed off the stage with blood smeared across his face, Secret Service flanking him, an American flag flying above his head. Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci captured the image that immediately went viral and landed on newspaper front pages while dominating digital news sites and social media platforms across the world. 

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Axios cited a photo editor and photographer "from a major news outlet" who suggested the media refrain from using the photo "despite how good it is" to avoid casting the former president in a positive light.

"The amount that publications have been using Evan's photo is kind of free PR for Trump in a way, and it's dangerous for media organizations to keep sharing that photo despite how good it is," the editor told the outlet.

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The photo has been praised as both iconic and instantly historic, and it will be on the next print cover of Time magazine. Some observers have said it could change some people's perceptions forever of Trump, one of the most controversial, beloved and loathed political figures in American history.

The Washington Post’s art critic, Phillip Kennicott, called it "a photograph that could change America forever."

Psychotherapist Jonathan Alter feels the image "encapsulates the essence" of what Americans want from its leaders.

"The image and the preceding event perfectly capture the raw vulnerability of a powerful former leader at his most vulnerable moment likely ever in his life, only to be followed by that of perseverance, strength, and defiance in the face of evil," Alter told Fox News Digital. 

"This image very well encapsulates the essence of what most Americans have come to admire in our heroes  --both in fiction and in real life -- and in those we look towards to lead: emerging from chaos with resilience and authority, and unwavering toughness," he continued. "Frankly, one that might change the narrative on ‘toxic masculinity.’"

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Vucci, a Pulitzer winner who has covered thousands of similar events for the AP since 2003, told Fox News Digital that he understood he was experiencing a historic moment in time as shots rang out in the direction of the former president.

"I was literally just thinking about doing the best possible job I could, because I knew that this was a moment in American history that I had to be at the top of my game for," Vucci told Fox News Digital on Monday from Milwaukee, where he was preparing to photograph the Republican National Convention. 

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"I knew immediately that it was going to be one of the most important things I'll ever photograph," he added, "and that I needed to do the best job possible."

Trump himself addressed the now world-famous photo during an interview with the New York Post on Monday, quipping "A lot of people say it’s the most iconic photo they’ve ever seen. They’re right and I didn’t die. Usually you have to die to have an iconic picture."

Fox News' Brian Flood and David Rutz contributed to this report.