Associated Press Photo of Fatally Wounded Marine Stirs Controversy

Damocles

Damocles

Accedo!
Staff member
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/pres...ua-bernard-stirs-controversy/story?id=8494094


Associated Press Photo of Fatally Wounded Marine Stirs Controversy
Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard Was Struck by a Rocket-Propelled Grenade in Afghanistan

Defense Secretary Robert Gates personally lobbied the Associated Press in an unsuccessful bid that the news agency honor a family's wish that it not distribute a graphic photograph showing the final moments of their son's life after the marine had been mortally wounded in a firefight in Afghanistan.

The photo shows 21-year-old Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard of New Portland, Maine, being helped by squadmates shortly after suffering severe leg injuries in a Taliban ambush in southern Afghanistan in mid-August. He was evacuated to a field hospital where he later died on the operating table.

Associated Press photographer Julie Jacobson was embedded with Bernard's squad at the time of the attack and caught the graphic image as it happened. The photo was included as part of a package sent to AP clients that included photos of Bernard's unit on patrol taken shortly before the attack and of a memorial service after his death.

More at link...
 
Unfortunate for the family.

However I do feel that the US public needs to see more of the horrors of war. A sanitized war promotes more wars.
 
There will always be war. It is eternal as man itself. Further it can be seen in the light that those horrific images further promote war. Arguably there are those who would want to punish the men who killed the marine, especially in so gruesome a manner. In the end it boils down to respect. The press had no respect for the grieving family and only wanted to fan the flames of controversy to increase their sales and fame.
 
CaptBillyTheKid said:
There will always be war. It is eternal as man itself. Further it can be seen in the light that those horrific images further promote war. Arguably there are those who would want to punish the men who killed the marine, especially in so gruesome a manner. In the end it boils down to respect. The press had no respect for the grieving family and only wanted to fan the flames of controversy to increase their sales and fame.
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True, a point I had not considered. However I still think war needs to be more accurately portrayed in the media and not sanitized.
 
Damocles said:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/pres...ua-bernard-stirs-controversy/story?id=8494094


Associated Press Photo of Fatally Wounded Marine Stirs Controversy
Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard Was Struck by a Rocket-Propelled Grenade in Afghanistan

Defense Secretary Robert Gates personally lobbied the Associated Press in an unsuccessful bid that the news agency honor a family's wish that it not distribute a graphic photograph showing the final moments of their son's life after the marine had been mortally wounded in a firefight in Afghanistan.

The photo shows 21-year-old Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard of New Portland, Maine, being helped by squadmates shortly after suffering severe leg injuries in a Taliban ambush in southern Afghanistan in mid-August. He was evacuated to a field hospital where he later died on the operating table.

Associated Press photographer Julie Jacobson was embedded with Bernard's squad at the time of the attack and caught the graphic image as it happened. The photo was included as part of a package sent to AP clients that included photos of Bernard's unit on patrol taken shortly before the attack and of a memorial service after his death.

More at link...
Click to expand...

I think showing the photo is a disgrace. Whatever happened to respect for Bernard's family and friends request? Actually, the more I think about it, the more angry I get. it's outrageous and heads should roll. DAMN!!
 
uscitizen said:
Yep heaven even had wars.

But a few of us learn and do not want wars.
Click to expand...

War is necessary. Unwanted to be sure, but necessary still. As for sanitation I agree (mostly anyways), but in the end the press does not care one way or another for sanitation. If blood and controversy didn't sell papers this would never happen.
 
uscitizen said:
Unfortunate for the family.

However I do feel that the US public needs to see more of the horrors of war. A sanitized war promotes more wars.
Click to expand...

I agree.
Maybe we should do the same for rape victims.
Wouldn't publishing the pictures of the victim, help bring this to everyone's attaention??

Then we could extend this to include murder victims, incest, domestic violence, and just about everything else.
 
USFREEDOM911 said:
I agree.
Maybe we should do the same for rape victims.
Wouldn't publishing the pictures of the victim, help bring this to everyone's attaention??

Then we could extend this to include murder victims, incest, domestic violence, and just about everything else.
Click to expand...

Ahh the old right wing tactic of pushing an argument to the absurd.
A tired tactic.
And very moronic.
 
USFREEDOM911 said:
If I'm vectoring, then you're going in reverse.

Why can't you answer the question?
Will it, or won't it help bring the problem more attention and cause more people to get involved in solving it??
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The perpetual gate keeper has spoken.

Bow in humble supplication....





in other words?




he gets a HUGE charge out of it!
 
There are two fundamental issues at play here. One is the responsibility of the press to accurately report news and document history, the other is simple decency and common sense.

Everyday more people die as a result of violent crime than soldiers or Marines in combat. Yet when a 24 yr old female college student is raped we dont publish the nude photos of her. Would someone argue that the government or the press is trying to sanitize crime? Of course not... its a matter of decency and common sense. Does not displaying pictures of her body and the evidence of the crime committed somehow serve to increase the number of rapes in the nation? No. Is it news that she was raped? Yes of course it is... and not posting such pictures in no way detracts from the press's ability to report the news, nor does it detract from society's ability to consume the news story.

The very same is true for war. Do we need historical documentation of the tragedys and horrors of war? Yes we do. But we do not need to publicly display dead or dying Marines in order to tell a news story. I read her story (jacobson's) without seeing the photo and there was no need for me to view it to understand what happened, to understand the fear, the sadness, the anger... Im not saying that there was no need for her to be there, i feel she provides a service to the memory of those who fight by documenting it through words and pictures and there is value to that without a doubt.

However, the lack of common decency in publishing the photo of a dying Marine is truly appalling, especially when it is explained and excused as nothing more than a journalistic responsibility to report the news. Im confident that IF, as she was taking these pictures, she herself was blown in half and another Marine took pictures of her, that the AP would run a story "Reporter Killed In Combat" and would never run the pictures of her mangled half blown off body.

Semper Fidelis,

SR
 
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