Imagine the interior of a 15th-century church in the heart of Amsterdam. Now picture it filled with some of the most powerful photographs taken over the past year. Then, imagine the photojournalists who captured those images walking among the crowd, sharing the stories behind them: a nine-year-old boy in Gaza who lost limbs in an airstrike, Chinese migrants at the U.S.–Mexico border, and a fleeting glimpse of Trump’s reality behind the politician’s tie, as captured in the expression of a man who had just survived an assassination attempt.
Sounds atmospheric, right?
“I Need to See His Face”: The Photographer of Trump’s Assassination Attempt
Award-winning Washington Post photographer Jabin Botsford spoke to iMEdD about the story behind the photo of Donald Trump’s assassination attempt.
That’s what happened on May 16–17 at De Nieuwe Kerk, during the 2025 World Press Photo Awards Ceremony and the special event The Stories That Matter. One might find it ironic that photographs of pain and destruction are awarded and exhibited in Western Europe, as guests sip champagne and nibble on canapés. Yet, awards like World Press Photo bring vital global stories to the forefront and raise awareness about the urgent issues of our time—this year, climate crisis and migration took center stage.
For World Press Photo of the Year winner, Palestinian photojournalist Samar Abu Elouf, the aim of her photo—showing nine-year-old Mahmoud Ajjour, who lost his arms in an Israeli airstrike—is clear: to change the world, to stop the war in Gaza. As American photojournalist James Nachtwey once said: “I have been a witness, and these pictures are my testimony. The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated.”
That is the true power of photojournalism. So, when asked: Can these images change the world?
There’s really only one answer: These images must change the world.
