The dying Marine photo (II): three thoughtful dissents

Posted By tom ricks Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - 8:59 PM Share

I have a lot of time for Fred "Damn the torpedoes" Reed. He thinks the AP was right to publish the photo of the dying Marine. I disagree, and I think Reed should better address the concerns of the Marine's parents, but still, here is a heartfelt argument from someone worth listening to. Jamie McIntyre, author of a hot new blog, also comes out in favor of publishing the photo, as does Stars & Stripes.

I disagree. But I am struck that these three, all coming from different perspectives, think the AP did the right thing.

Flickr/Somerslea - RIP Murphy I Love You!

EXPLORE:MEDIA, MILITARY

(5)

HIDE COMMENTS LOGIN OR REGISTER REPORT ABUSE

DA BUFFALO AMONGST WOLVES

9:42 PM ET

September 8, 2009

I'm with Mark Prendergast

...and I am proud of Stars & Stripes for backing AP's decision.

RUBBER DUCKY

10:04 PM ET

September 8, 2009

You're wrong. They're right.

The delicacy of the press corps' coverage of the carnage in our two wars has much to do with these wars' permanent existence. The American People simply have no skin in the game ... unless it's some poor schlunk caught up in the obscenity of the All Volunteer Force. For the rest of us, out-of-sight = out-of-mind. Madison introduced the First Amendment for a purpose. Self-censorship defeats the purpose.

See page 12, October 2006 issue of US Naval Institute Proceedings.

Bring back the draft.

ADMIRAL

10:40 PM ET

September 8, 2009

The Parents

I don't understand all the concern about the parents? The parents will suffer everyday for the rest of their lives. It will be even worse when they fully understand that their boy died in vain for NOTHING! Perhaps this photo and others like it will save some lives in the end. The more blood and guts shown to American teenagers and their parents, the better. I hope that this photo will discourage as many potential recruits as possible from joining themselves to a complete and total lost cause that benefits no one except arms dealers and cold hearted generals. Show this photo and ones like it in every high school in the land. Show our young people the real face of war vs the lies and distortions of pentagon propoganda.

JSINAIKO

1:15 PM ET

September 9, 2009

What about the famous Life

What about the famous Life photos of GIs in the surf in New Guinea? Or the kids being brought down from Hamburger Hill? Or Bob Capa's pic of the guy in the Spanish Civil War? Is it all photos, or just this one that you object to? What about photos of the enemy? What about photos of badly wounded people? Civilians?

If you are to object to a news org doing its job - just like you - you need to give more specifics. Why are you against the photo being published? What about others? Is it just about the parents? We don't show that sort of consideration to toher innocent parents, so why these parents? Etc.

Don't you think showing photos of dead Iraqis or Afghans but not Americans dehumanizes the others. Or maybe not publishing flesh-and-blood photos of Americans dehumanizes us. I don't know, but I do know that Rubber Ducky is right too - that as long as we don't really SEE the cost to our people, we won't have a correct idea of what this stuff is all about. This is war, not tiddly winks, and it is important to bring home to the American people the reality of it, which includes hundreds and in the case of Iraq thousands of dead and permanently injured young people. Getting all squishy about it while at the same time advocating it seems to me to be gross hypocrisy. So Tom - what's the deal? More detail please.

DA BUFFALO AMONGST WOLVES

9:28 PM ET

September 9, 2009

Speaking of bloody...

This morning, PhotoBucket pulled two pictures as violating their TOS. I do not believe it was AP copyright action, but the graphic imagery.

One was the picture of Lance Cpl Bernard, the other, a picture of a couple of mercs attending the ArmorGroup Bacchanal in Kabul which showed one UGLY butt.

However, they DID NOT violate my TOS for this graphic image:

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee241/photobastard/talafargirl.jpg

As a few of us have pointed out... It's apparently well within the social norm of American sensibilities to exhibit violence and mayhem against "the other", but not against one of our own.