AP Photo of Dying Marine Criticized

[Susan71]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/04/AR2009090403634.html

Thoughts?
Opinions?

I am on the fence on this one..half of me is outraged and the other half understands freedom of the press.

There are valid points on both sides of this argument...my heart goes out to his family

[JustAGuy]

My heart goes out to the family also.

That being said I think people need to see this kind of stuff every now and then, we are fed so much shit about al the good things...like children giving soldiers flowers. that we sometimes forget this is a war.

[Badger]

I think it needs to be known not seen unless it is ok with the family.  Bad form by the press.

[EsenciaDeLaFuerza]

I'm not sure what to think actually.  I don't understand why the father would request it not be shared.  Requesting his son's name be kept anonymous would make more sense to me.  His son knew what was at stake when joining the service and died in the line of duty.  How is seeing his wounds or grieving his death a private affair? 

I guess watching scenes like these in a movie is acceptable where seeing the actual picture is not because movies aren't "real"... ?

[audrey]

I think it should be showed, for several reasons. Freedom of press for one, to show people the not quite so bright side of war for another. I also agree with April; he knew what he was risking, why would it be a private affair? To keep it anonymous, okay, I can definitely understand that. But to prohibit showing it because it's "private"? Doesn't make sense to me.

[blueluvinurse]

I believe firmly in the freedom of press. But, I did not look at the picture because the soldier's Daddy did not want me to.  As I said on the other board, I feel human respect trumps journalistic duty. The father doesn't want it to be seen and he's hurting enough as it is, why pour salt in his wound? There are plenty of other images of the ugliness of war that do not have a father begging them not be shown.

[originalcourtney]

i just finished reading Lone Survivor today and i not *glad* this photo was made public but i am glad that its out there for the world to see. its a war. never forget that. sometimes we all need reminding.

it almost seems to me that the father is (this probably isnt the best word but) embarassed his son was killed.

his son died a national hero. its almost like the father isnt proud of his son.

dunno. doesnt make any sense but liek i said, i just finished reading a book about the only SEAL to survive when the taliban attacked him and his 3 teamates so my thoughts are a bit skewed on this right now.

good book btw.

c.

[Badger]

After hearing of this story in the press and the contreversy surrounding it.  I still think it was a bonehead move on the reporter's part.  Yeah, people in the world need to know how bad war is.  Yes we should all think before we commit our families to war.  However, I am a war monger of sorts.  I beleive the military should do thier job unhinderd by politics.  And it will be bad.  It will look bad.  War is not for the squeamish.  But is it any better when we send our sons and daughters door to door when we could easily just blow the whole freakin' city up.  Or when we don't attack a mousque because it is a place of worship even when thats where the machine gun fire is coming from or where the bad guys run to to hide.  I am thankful there are people who are against war because it balances my viewpoint out.  But showing what the bad guys do to our troops sometimes incites more people to be like me thus throwing off the balance.  The base thing people are forgetting here is a matter of respect for the fallen.  The one man, now has become a picture on the internet for all the mordib freaks to look at.   They care little about how or why he died.

USMC Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard, 21, was mortally wounded by a grenade in Afghanistan on August 14. An embedded Associated Press photographer -- a woman -- snapped photos of the dying Marine as fellow Marines tried to save his life.

She had been embedded with the unit and had photographed the Marines, including Lance Cpl. Bernard immediately prior to the ambush. She had also kept a journal in which she had described the attack and the care the other Marines had provided. 

I purposely left out her name because this is about a fallen hero and his brothers in arms who tried to save him despite her snapping photos.

[Heretik]

If we based our publishing of pictures on whether or not someone's mother or father wanted them published we wouldn't see much

I agree that the reporter maybe shouldn't have done it... but do I think they couldn't have done it?

I think they are legally able to do so and even if the father doesn't want it out there, his son was an adult and fighting in a war where many many others are photographed... why is it any different because a person died?

Just as some may become more war monging over the photo there will be more that are against it... so I think the balance that Badger spoke of would remain, photo or not.

Would I have published it?  Not sure really.

But as sad as it may seem when I say this... it really isn't up to the father if it's published or not.

[EsenciaDeLaFuerza]

I feel human respect trumps journalistic duty.

Respect for whom? 

[blueluvinurse]

Respect for whom? 

Respect for the father's wishes. If I had taken a pic of his son dying and he asked me not to publish it, I would not publish it out of respect for him. He is in enough pain without me making it worse.

[EsenciaDeLaFuerza]

Respect for the father's wishes. If I had taken a pic of his son dying and he asked me not to publish it, I would not publish it out of respect for him. He is in enough pain without me making it worse.

Luckily for me, the decision was not mine to make.  Truly, I don't understand how publishing that picture is offensive or disrespectful to anyone. 

[Heretik]

Releasing the photo doesn't change whether or not his son is dead

I don't really see the harm in the picture being published... his name... now that would be up for debate.  I think the name should have remained anonymous until the next of kin spoke on the matter.

[blueluvinurse]

I respect both of your thoughts on the matter, Ape and Al, but I still feel that if the father doesn't want the pic of his son to be seen, we should respect the father's wishes. If it were my baby boy, I don't know if I'd want it published or not and god, I don't even want to imagine being in his shoes..but if it was too painful for me, and I wanted it to not be seen, then I'd like to know that the powers that be would say "that's cool, we'll save you the agony." I know that me not looking at the photo can not and has not brought the dead son back, and that the father will never know that I am respecting his wishes....but I'm respecting them anyway. I'd want others to consider me if I was in his place.

[Heretik]

I think that is very noble of you and I agree that we can agree to disagree on the matter