Really, Let's Think a Little More

Napalm girl's new mission
In the 1970s, her photo was credited with helping to end the Vietnam War. » What Kim Phuc is doing now?

Oh, my. So sensitivity is just not a factor anymore? Napalm Girl?

Death on Display

I find the issue of whether to use the  photo of the mortally wounded Marine a tough one, though come down on the side of publishing it. It is no doubt painful for his parents and many others who loved him to see him dying, bloody on the field of battle.

But this is what is going on, in full view of others on the battlefield, thus hardly a secret. The romance, the endless labeling since Sept. 11 of all soldiers (and cops and firefighters) as heroes and warriors, the refusal to question what is happening to soldiers, not to mention our military and political policies, requires us to do hurtful things some times.

We have a fair amount of military service in my family; the latest is my "little" nephew, Jeff (he's 6 foot 5, I think),  who's headed over there soon to fly Army helicopters.  I would never, ever, want his mother--my sister-- or anyone else to see him in a photo like this. But really what we all want is to not see any of our sons and daughters, or fathers and mothers, or nieces and nephews, have any reason to wind up in these photos.

It's hard to read the personal, individual stories told at Daily Kos I Got The News Today and not weep and wonder how the families cope. And where the country goes from here.

 But in the haze of unending and ridiculously tacky celebrity news, faked controversies and genearl artifice, it's easy to forget what real news is. News is ugly because it is reality and presenting a pristine view of what goes on does no one any good.

Any Kid Will Do

Obama Kids' Photos on a Murder Story


Having worked for newspapers for more years than I care to mention, I suspect this photo choice was boneheaded but not deliberate. At least I hope that's the case, because otherwise, this is an appalling move, potentially one with racial overtones.

Some of you may remember the newspaper feature about children's parties that was accompanied by a file photo of a clown--mass murderer John Wayne Gacy in his clown suit. Someone didn't think.

People who see conspiracies in coverage should visit the local sausage factory and see what really goes on. Before the factories close, of course.

A newspaper that once employed me accidentally ran the wrong photo of a community school board member. Three times. Which was particularly problematic because of the two members, from different boards but with identical names, one was under indictment and frequently written about; the other was not. Then-assistant managing editor Bob Keane came up with a way to keep it from happening again--he went to the library, asked for the photos of the two men and ripped them to shreds. End of problem.

Another paper ran a column about the arrival of nice, sunny weather and used a file photo of a guy sunning himself in the backyard. The latter, unfortunately, had died earlier in the year, of cancer. His mother had to be taken to the hospital after reading the paper. But it was genuine error, someone desperate for a stock photo and not realizing what had been pulled, not snark or callous choice.

I do believe the lack of honest, unbiased coverage on cable news has led many people to see all reportage as opinionated yak, not to be trusted unless the yakker happens to hold your same views. When the commentary of Larry King, Sean Hannity, Keith Olbermann, Joe Scarborough, Glenn Beck and Lou Dobbs all wind up mixed in with straight, hard news coverage, it's no surprise that people can't distinguish the difference anymore.

And it feeds this sense that anything goes--a meanness that says that no one is off limits, and that there's virtually no one putting on the brakes when it comes to commenting or otherwise covering people. Regardless of the consequences.


UPDATE:
Editor John Solomon told Greg Sargent technology, not a person, was to blame.

"The theme engine, through automation, grabbed a photo it thought was relevant, and attached it to the story," Solomon said, acknowledging that the photo had gone up without a person seeing it. "There was no editorial decision to run it. As soon as it was brought to our attention, we pulled it down."

Burma Checks the Web

If this is true, it might be time for a little restraint. And maybe some dismantling of web sites and their archives. Temporarily, that is.

Myanmar turns cameras on dissidents
By Richard Ehrlich

BANGKOK - Myanmar is apparently using photos sent to websites, television stations and other media to arrest protesters, while at the same time praising China's 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown which turned foreign news videos into virtual wanted posters to capture dissidents.

Myanmar security forces have detained over 2,000 people in the wake of last week's popular unrest and military crackdown. The authorities claim to have already released over 680 of those detained, but there are new reports of continued arrests. "Residents say military trucks patrol neighborhood streets during the night with loudspeakers broadcasting warnings: 'We have photographs. We are going to make arrests'," the Thailand-based, Irrawaddy magazine and other news organizations reported on Wednesday.

Squeamish on Pictures

Doug Fisher has a terrific post about the ethics involved in deciding not to publish a photo for reasons of taste or ethics or other scruples but then linking to a site that does publish it.

Good issue for all of us to consider.