War is Hell

"War is hell," and who among us want to "go to hell?" So how do I find out about what is going on there? Really going on. I trust the news agencies to deliver to me an accurate, timely accounting: who, what, where, when and why, and sometimes how. By answering those questions they give me all the information I need to react, feel, opine, and decide about what is happening in our world.

Give me the news, the facts. Don't hide, don't editorialize, don't exaggerate, don't exploit. Punch me in the stomach with it. The purpose of news reporting in a democracy is to enable people to know what is happening, and to understand events so that we can form our own conclusions.

Is there a code of ethics, best practices, or common thought that news agencies, editors and publishers adhere to? To not display images means ignoring the news, even if to display them may mean offending readers and viewers. The images of war are awful. But even our children need to know the truth. The grisly images of charred bodies, mangled bodies and yes embarrassed bodies are truthful and newsworthy.

To use what seems to be a cliché nowadays. All the pictures "strengthen my resolve" to support our government's fight on terror. I have seen the unedited pictures of the Nick Berg beheading, and yes, they make a very powerful statement and a very powerful case to kill the bastards who did this.

But I also believe that the "cleansed" pictures the media uses does not make the same statement. Those pictures rely on my imagination to complete the story, and my imagination cannot come up with something that gruesome. I choose to pay for my newspaper, just like I choose to pay for cable TV, so don't censor or soften the news. That's not what I pay you for. Just give me the news, no matter how bad it may be. I need to know.

Posted 329 words by A.J. on May 13, 2004 06:06 PM