This Campaign Highlights Crimes Against Free Press by Hacking Instagram's Sensitive Content

Renowned Swedish agency Åkestam Holst NoA joins forces with Reporters Without Borders and newspaper store Pressbyrån in a campaign highlighting crimes against free press. By hacking Instagram’s sensitive content warnings, the campaign displays photos which may be seen as harmless at first glance. But there’s a darker backstory to every image as the photographers behind them have faced severe consequences in their line of work. 

Sensitive content warnings in social media usually warn people of nudity and explicit content. By changing the word ‘people’ to ‘people in power’, the warning was given a totally new meaning. When swiping left, users were first met with seemingly ordinary images, which were then revealed to have been taken by photojournalists who have been harassed, threatened and even killed as a result. Their photos were simply too sensitive for some people in power.  

“The campaign flips our expectations of sensitive content warnings. The  photos in the campaign may not be sensitive for you, but they surely were  for some people in power. We want to celebrate all those who have risked their own safety trying to uncover the truth,” says Ivan Trip, art director at  Åkestam Holst NoA.  

The campaign was launched together with one of Sweden’s largest publishing houses Schibsted on the World Press Freedom Day, in both digital and traditional channels. A billboard was also placed outside the Russian Embassy in Sweden to comment on the current war in Ukraine. When unlocking the QR-code, embassy workers were faced with a photo taken by Maks Levin, a Ukrainian photographer recently killed while covering the conflict. 

Production company of the campaign is BKRY NoA. Uncensor all the photos here.