Gates vs. AP Over War Photo of Dying Marine

[FunkMonk]

It irks me that the AP disregarded the father's wishes, but I understand and appreciate the need for pictures like these to be seen. It's one thing to see portraits of the deceased in the newspapers or on TV; it's entirely something else to see a photograph of the same person in their dying moments. There is more "truth" to be gleaned in the latter, perhaps. The rub is that these pictures are more "personal" in nature, which creates a sense of "ownership" in those who have a very personal stake in the picture, namely immediate family members. Because of this personal nature, though, they carry a greater weight than, say, the little obits you see in the papers. How many of us, when we see pictures of such horrors, instead of seeing nameless figures of unknowns, transpose ourselves and our friends and family into these pictures? That is the power war photography.

The public's perception of war is seen almost entirely through the medium of the press. It has a responsibility to show war in all its aspects. When the press does this it creates a better informed public; the same public that is complicit in sending these young men and women to die in war, and therefore has an ancillary role in the creation of these very photographs.

That being said, I would not have published the photographs, but I say this as an entirely biased individual, who's lost friends in war and has seen the depths of despair these deaths induce in families. Perhaps then, if I were the AP official who had to decide on these pictures, I would have recused myself and let someone else make the decision.

That's war. I don't think we should try to hide it. And I say that as someone who has a brother shipping off to Afghanistan this month.

Good luck to him. You too. 

[grumbler]

I think AP showed restraint in waiting until after the burial to release the photo, so it isn't like they were completely callous.  I think media self-censorship is more dangerous than the release of this kind of photo.  Had it been a close-up showing him in agony, I might decide differently.

Incidentally, I was upset that the movie The Hunt for Red October used a fairly famous film clip of a carrier ramp strike in which two Naval Aviators died as part of their "ratchet up the tension" plot device.  If you want to show a fictional plane crash, fake one.  Don't use the film of actual people dying in order to help sell a fictional movie.  The use of that film in a documentary wouldn't have bothered me.

[CountDeMoney]

Incidentally, I was upset that the movie The Hunt for Red October used a fairly famous film clip of a carrier ramp strike in which two Naval Aviators died as part of their "ratchet up the tension" plot device.  If you want to show a fictional plane crash, fake one.  Don't use the film of actual people dying in order to help sell a fictional movie.  The use of that film in a documentary wouldn't have bothered me.

Yeah, that always annoyed the shit out of me, too.  Unnecessary.

[Jaron]

You guys are too sensitive.