AP and Afghanistan
Scanning the headlines today brought with it a sense of deja vu, and not necessarily in a good way. Shortly after the end of the Vietnam War, my parents took me to visit a woman who had once worked at the same hospital in Ardmore, OK where my mother worked when I was born. This woman, one of the most gentle, loving souls I've every had the pleasure to meet had baked my first birthday cake. She'd raised two sons -- one the sort of young man you'd kill to have your daughter bring home and the other, the sort you'd kill if your daughter brought him home. The first brother had studied hard, earned a college scholarship and gave it up to serve his country in the war. The second brother had been in and out of jail, bringing his mother nothing but heartache.
This wonderful woman had been so proud of the eldest son, supported his decision to enlist instead of going to college. During Basic, he wrote when he could. Once he was deployed to Vietnam, every week there was at least one letter...until the letters stopped. Letters and phone calls brought no explanation from the Defense Department. There was nothing but silence and fear and that thread of hope you have to hold onto when fearing the worst.
Then the mail came one day. Included with the standard bills and letters was the family's copy of Life or Look Magazine -- sorry, I don't remember which one right now. One look at the cover and they knew their worst fears had come true. The cover story was about the death of an American soldier and that soldier, shown in page after page of photos as he died in his buddy's arms, was their son.
The family grieved. But that magazine, the one that brought the news they had so long feared, held a place of pride in their home, showing to all who came what their son had been willing to risk for this country.
That brings me to today's headlines. The Associated Press, against the wishes of another soldier's family, has put together a story -- complete with photos -- showing the death of a 21 year old Marine. Now, unlike the family we knew, this Marine's family knew of their son's death. The AP sent a reporter to interview them. At that time, the family asked the AP not to publish the photo of their son's death. AP ignored their request. Secretary of Defense Bill Gates has asked, by phone and by letter, for AP to have the common decency to understand how difficult this decision is making it for the soldier's family and friends. AP still refuses to pull the photo. ( http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090904/pl_politico/26759 )
"AP journalists document world events every day. Afghanistan is no exception. We feel it is our journalistic duty to show the reality of the war there, however unpleasant and brutal that sometimes is," said Santiago Lyon, the director of photography for AP. ( http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/26762.html#ixzz0Q9yH7qSH ).
War isn't pretty. People die. However, the media should not be using the death of a soldier to fulfill its own political agenda. I know there are other photos that could have been used. Other families who would have given permission for photos of their loved one dying. This soldier's family should have been respected, just as he should be respected and honored.
Maybe, the day will come when the media returns to just reporting the news, not trying to make it. I doubt it, but hope does spring eternal.
This wonderful woman had been so proud of the eldest son, supported his decision to enlist instead of going to college. During Basic, he wrote when he could. Once he was deployed to Vietnam, every week there was at least one letter...until the letters stopped. Letters and phone calls brought no explanation from the Defense Department. There was nothing but silence and fear and that thread of hope you have to hold onto when fearing the worst.
Then the mail came one day. Included with the standard bills and letters was the family's copy of Life or Look Magazine -- sorry, I don't remember which one right now. One look at the cover and they knew their worst fears had come true. The cover story was about the death of an American soldier and that soldier, shown in page after page of photos as he died in his buddy's arms, was their son.
The family grieved. But that magazine, the one that brought the news they had so long feared, held a place of pride in their home, showing to all who came what their son had been willing to risk for this country.
That brings me to today's headlines. The Associated Press, against the wishes of another soldier's family, has put together a story -- complete with photos -- showing the death of a 21 year old Marine. Now, unlike the family we knew, this Marine's family knew of their son's death. The AP sent a reporter to interview them. At that time, the family asked the AP not to publish the photo of their son's death. AP ignored their request. Secretary of Defense Bill Gates has asked, by phone and by letter, for AP to have the common decency to understand how difficult this decision is making it for the soldier's family and friends. AP still refuses to pull the photo. ( http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090904/pl_politico/26759 )
"AP journalists document world events every day. Afghanistan is no exception. We feel it is our journalistic duty to show the reality of the war there, however unpleasant and brutal that sometimes is," said Santiago Lyon, the director of photography for AP. ( http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/26762.html#ixzz0Q9yH7qSH ).
War isn't pretty. People die. However, the media should not be using the death of a soldier to fulfill its own political agenda. I know there are other photos that could have been used. Other families who would have given permission for photos of their loved one dying. This soldier's family should have been respected, just as he should be respected and honored.
Maybe, the day will come when the media returns to just reporting the news, not trying to make it. I doubt it, but hope does spring eternal.