(c) Terril Jones/Associated Press

All this has led me to reassess what the photo tells us. I saw that the still-unidentified man clearly premeditated his stand well before the tanks were upon him; he didn’t dart out for the confrontation moments before. He seems calm and prepared — could he have been mentally unstable as some have suggested? He appears to be abandoned by those running for cover, yet he also seems to be clearing a path for them to do so.

I’ve also realized how strongly that image continues to resonate with people, underscoring the importance of a free — and well-staffed — press corps around the world. The visceral responses that the photo has evoked make me wish I had come forward with it publicly much sooner.