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Press Clips
Not a Pretty Picture
Looking this war in the face proves difficult when the press itself won't even put in an appearance by Sydney H. Schanberg May 10th, 2005 12:00 AM |
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If we believe that the present war in Iraq is just and necessary, why do we shrink from looking at the damage it wreaks? Why does the government that ordered the war and hails it as an instrument of good then ask us to respect those who died in the cause by not describing and depicting how they died? And why, in response, have newspapers gone along with Washington and grown timid about showing photos of the killing and maiming? What kind of honor does this bestow on those who are sent to fight in the nation's name? The Iraq war inspires these questions.
More than 1,600 American soldiers have died in this war that began a little over two years ago. Wounded Americans number about 12,000. No formal count is kept of the Iraqi civilian dead and wounded, but it is far greater than the military toll. But can you recall the last time your hometown newspaper ran a picture spread of these human beings lying crumpled at the scene of the slaughter? And when was the last time you saw a picture of a single fallen American soldier at such a scene? Yes, some photos of such bloodshed have been published at times over the span of this war. But they have become sparser and sparser, while the casualty rate has stayed the same or, frequently, shot higher. At the moment, five GIs die every two days. Some readers may object to my use of the word slaughter. I do respect other points of view. But I served in the military, and as a reporter I covered several wars—in India, Vietnam, and Cambodia. I came away persuaded that whether one considers a particular war necessary or misguided, the military goal in armed combat is always to kill and thus render helpless those on the other side. That being the case, what is a government's basis for depriving the public of candid press coverage of what war is all about? How else can voters make informed decisions about a war their government has led them into? The true reason why a government—in this case, the Bush administration—tries to censor and sanitize coverage is to prevent a public outcry against the war, an outcry that might bring down the administration. The photographs that accompany this piece are not gratuitously violent. They are merely real. All but one were taken by David Leeson, a highly regarded photographer at The Dallas Morning News. He and his Morning News colleague Cheryl Diaz Meyer were awarded the 2004 Pulitzer Prize in breaking-news photography "for their eloquent photographs depicting both the violence and poignancy of the war with Iraq."
A columnist, of course, is permitted to offer up pretty much any opinion he or she chooses, but still it's very odd to see a journalist—since we historically have always pressed for transparency—recommending that information be left out of stories. He insisted he was "not advocating official censorship" but simply asking the media for "a little restraint." Also, he cited the press controls used by former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani as a model for achieving "restraint." Giuliani, the column said, had told his police department "to stop giving out details of daily crime in time for reporters' deadlines," in order to keep "the day's most grisly crime" off the 11 o'clock television news.
A generation later, the photographer David Leeson, whom I talked with on the phone, has similar passions. He said: "I understand the criticisms about blood and gore. I don't seek that. When I approach a body on the ground after a battle, I'm determined to give dignity to that person's life and photograph him with respect. But sometimes, as with my pictures of child victims, the greatest dignity and respect you can give them is to show the horror they have suffered, the absolutely gruesome horror." Leeson went on: "War is madness. Often when I was in it, I would think of my work as dedicated to stopping it. But I know that's unrealistic. When I considered the readers who would see my photos, I felt I was saying to them: 'If I hurt inside, I want you to hurt too. If something brings me to tears, I want to bring you to tears too.' " I don't see any place for "restraint" in this picture. |
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More Press Clips
Having Won a Pulitzer for Exposing Data Mining, Times Now Eager to Do Its Own Data Mining
Dishonorable Non-Mention: Juan Gonzalez and the Daily News' 9/11 Pulitzer Another Imus in the Mourning? CBS comes very near replacing a barnacle with a Barnicle Scoopable Litter How Rudy's campaign helped the Post snatch the news from the News Five Cents a Right-Wing Dance |
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Emer on Sun Mar 30, 2008, 22:21, says:
It is correct that war is not a pretty picture, and life; any life lost is a tragedy; so I ask you,
the writer of this article; where were you on September 11th? Now some say the former leader of Iraq
was not involved, some say he was; myself? I do not think he was directly involved, but I do however
believe he was a supporter of those who were; none-the-less, he also was a killer of his "own"
people, his own blood at times.... How many of those people do you suppose suffered and died at his
hands for NO reason? Now any war has and will always have a political reason behind it, any one with
a brain knows this; but.... if a good for the people DOES come from it; is it not worth it in the
end? Then again, those people have been fighting among themselves for thousands of years, and will
most likely do so until the end of time because they have little value for life on this earth; women
and female children are considered usable and disposable. The ones who are responsible for actually
pulling off 911 lived in this country as neighbors, some worked here, took the hard earned money of
the citizens of this country ALL THE WHILE planning the murder of our people.... I lived with a
military man for 20 plus years, it is a hard life, not for one without guts and stamina. It is a
poor paying job with lousy benefits; when you speak of the government which is a lousy piece of work
I agree, you also speak of the men and women of the United States Armed Forces who are on alien soil
in order to keep your butt safe at home on this soil in order for you speak your mind and say these
things. I think YOU should remember that buddy!!!! And remember also that a lot of people went down
in flames, many to never be found who were buried beneath tons of stone, dirt, broken glass in a
firey grave and no one knows of the time they may had left breathing within pockets of air before
they finally died, perhaps badly burned, bones crushed, but not yet deceased and had to suffer until
the air ran out. THINK before you are so quick to open your mouth to speak, and thank your lucky
stars that there is some out there who will stand and fight without question in order for YOU and
other like you to be able to run that mouth of yours !!!! They follow the orders of the Commander in
Chief of this country whom was elected by the people of this country; people KNOWING there is always
a possibility of war. Not something any one wants, especially a military person,their spouse, their
children or their loved ones. They are the ones living the TRUE tragedy of this war.... NOT YOU.
and they damn sure didn't ask for it; believe me!
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