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May 12, 2004
CBS & Abu Ghraib
Best argument I've seen so far on why CBS shouldn't have released the photos. Most of the others have been unconvincing:
Within 48 hours of the 9/11 attacks, the major news networks and leading newspapers were settling on a policy to stop showing images of victims leaping to their death from the World Trade Center. NBC ran one clip of a man plunging to his death, and then admitted it was a mistake. An NBC News v.p. told the New York Times, "Once it was on, we decided not to use it again. It's stunning photography, I understand that, but we felt the image was disturbing."
In fact, post-9/11 coverage illuminates an interesting cultural cleavage in the media. When shocking images might stir Americans to favor war, the Serious Journalists show great restraint. When those images have the opposite effect, the Ted Koppels let it fly.
Mickey Kaus agrees.
- Cassandra
May 12, 2004 at 08:51 AM | Permalink
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Comments
How true. Personally, I want the 9/11 images to be run and re-run. I think it is a tragedy that no one runs the clips anymore. I taped some specials on the events for my daughter when she is older and I might have to explain why we are fighting whereever we might be at that time.
If the images hurt Bush - run them over and over again. If they help Bush - oh, they are too shocking and we must shelve them for eternity.
Posted by: KJ at May 12, 2004 9:51:11 AM
Couldn't agree more. In 6 weeks the Unit will be back inside the Pentagon again. I want people to remember what happened - because it could happen again.
Posted by: Cassandra at May 12, 2004 12:22:45 PM
PARDON MY BLATHERINGS, BUT....
the local CBS station just had a story about what the affect might be of the photographs from Iraq on our children. The same people who have been showing us the pictures at every turn are suddenly worried about the children! Ya gotta luv 'em.
The young lady giving the story described our soldiers humiliating and torturing Iraqi prisoners, and oh, yes, an American being tortured by, well, she did not say. Since when is somebody being beheaded considered to be torture? When the brain surgeons in the news media get their hands on the story - that's when!
See, it is all equal. That is, they torture, and we torture. How the left loves the moral equivalence argument. In their world, beheading a young man is equal to humiliating a young man. The sad part is, they do not see a problem with what passes, for them, as a train of thought.
When I stop and think about it, why are they so upset, Clinton was doing pretty much the same sort of things in a room right off of the Oval Office. Perhaps the fine folks from NOW will bring up the similiarity to them, and we will be seeing the former Commander-in-Chief standing in front of a military court before much longer.
Posted by: RIslander at May 13, 2004 5:34:45 PM