Weblogsky: Flag-Draped Coffins

« Uncivil War | Main | Progressive Pipes »

Flag-Draped Coffins

Kenneth Irby in Poynter Online tells how Tami Silicio's photo of flag-draped coffins of Iraqi war dead came to be published, thanks to the efforts of Silicio's friend Amy Katz and Seattle Times picture editor Barry Fitzsimmons.

The Bush administration asserts that there should be no media-related photographic documentation (news footage or still photography) of the homecoming of the war dead. This policy was implemented ostensibly to protect the sensitivities of military stakeholders: families, friends, and fellow soldiers.
Jeff Cohen, editor of The Houston Chronicle, sees it a little differently. He disagrees with the ban, saying "I believe there should be a free flow of information between the government and the media. The government can't dictate what you can and cannot publish. The newspaper has to look at every story and print what it feels is necessary for public examination."

"We went to war with Saddam Hussein because he was a ruthless dictator who denied his people of their freedoms and (the) liberties of a free society," he says. "We have to be very careful that our government does not do the same thing."

Of course, one reason for suppressing the photos might be to sanitize the war news. Public support for the war might erode if the human cost was more apparent. [Link]

jon posted this at 6:33 AM
Share on Facebook| email to a friend

Comments

Jeff Cohen has apparently bought into the administration's post-war explanation of the Iraqi invasion.

It is my memory that the reason we gave for invading Iraq was that the country had weapons of mass destruction in violation of UN sanctions and we (the U.S. of A.) were in immediate danger of being the target of those weapons.

Shame on Cohen for his duplicity in this sorry chapter of our history. He should care about his journalistic right to publish a few photos but he should also care about the larger truth of Iraq and publish that, as well.

Posted by: epenak | May 2, 2004 9:45 AM

Thanks for pointing that out, Ed.

Posted by: Jon Lebkowsky | May 2, 2004 10:16 AM