Picture Shows Reality of War
The IntelligencerA picture published in today's newspaper is exceedingly unusual. It shows a United States Marine after he was wounded in combat in Afghanistan. He died hours later.
Not all news outlets will choose to publish the picture, distributed by The Associated Press. We feel we owe it to our readers to explain why we have decided to use the image.
We are entirely in support of the war against terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq. We also are dedicated to supporting America's fighting men and women.
We believe that it is important for those of us for whom our soldiers, sailors, air crews and Marines serve to understand the sacrifices they make. Too often, they make the ultimate sacrifice - for us.
As of Thursday night, 808 military personnel and Department of Defense civilian employees had given their lives in Operation Enduring Freedom, the battle against terrorists in and near Afghanistan. Another 4,340 military personnel and civilian employees had died in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Thousands more Americans have come home from the wars maimed in body and sometimes, mind.
Too often, we fear, some Americans see only the statistics, the casualty counts released by the Department of Defense. We believe it is important for all of us to understand that behind the numbers are real men and women, sometimes making the ultimate sacrifice, for us. That is why we decided, after hours of debate and, yes, searching of our own hearts, to use the photograph of Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard.
Our use of the photograph - particularly as we did, on an inside page - was not intended as "sensationalism." It was not our intention to be disrespectful of Lance Cpl. Bernard. Far from it. We respect no one more than those who serve our country in uniform.
Our decision was made in the knowledge that it may be controversial. But our mission as journalists is not to sugar-coat the news - it is to inform our readers as objectively as possible.
Recognizing that even wars that are unavoidable carry with them a terrible price is part of that role. We owe it to our readers. Perhaps even more important, we owe it to the men and women who serve us in uniform - and sometimes lay down their lives for us.
May God watch over them all.
|
teduck
|
|
|---|---|
|
09-07-09 9:21 AM
|
Oh, that someone in Wheeling would encourage advertisers to withdraw their support from this paper. No matter how "conservative", there is a line of dignity and morality that should be crossed only with appropriate consequences in view.
|
|
ConservativeKaty
|
|
|
09-06-09 9:27 PM
|
General: I agree that the editors here are generally right on target with conservative values, but the editors themselves in headline after headline for editorial after editorial have established the zero tolerance policy for policy mistakes. If a casino worker is a penny off in her cash-out, if an environmental regulator scuffs coal, if a firefighter gets a three percent raise, then, by their call, Heads Must Roll. If the editors knew in advance of the ex-Marine father’s objection to a bloody portrayal of his dying heroic Marine son, and/or knew in advance of the conservatively eloquent objections of Conservative Secretary of Defense Gates, then the editors made a policy judgment error willfully. There must be some penance, just as you had to do with the face slap of a solider in a hospital; your intentions were good but your actions dishonored the American in American Military.
|
|
ConservativeKaty
|
|
|
09-06-09 9:26 PM
|
As to being front and center, I have always been and will always be at the conservative front, but front right. My dispatches are sent without leaving my assigned conservative post. My intentions are only to make these papers even more consistently conservative and to willfully humbly make corrections when human slipups occur, just as the editors demand of others. My face was slapped, as were the faces of so many loyal conservative readers, when we turned the pages of newsprint only to see a gutsy American Marine with his guts blown to pulp. The editors could have written even more eloquent conservative editorials explained why they chose not to run the picture. They would have made their conservative points even more clearly and especially more credibly. Thank you for permission to speak frankly, sir.
|
|
GenGSPatton
|
|
|
09-06-09 10:42 AM
|
The editor of this newspaper is a consistent voice for conservative values and freedom. He explained his reason for publishing that photo was his perceived duty to inform – not to attack Obama, and not to sensationalize – and he believed it was the right thing to do at the time. Conservatives should know better than to aid America’s enemies in their efforts to destroy newspapers like this. Quit crying and get back to the front.
|
|
GenGSPatton
|
|
|
09-06-09 10:42 AM
|
ConservativeKaty, because of generals like Patton you have the freedom to post here. Patton was phenomenally successful at defending freedom, but all his actions were not without controversy. He believed he was infallible – of course, he was not – and he probably thought slapping that soldier was the right thing to do at the time. Later he did apologize, as ordered. Although he was temporarily removed from command, Eisenhower knew better than to terminate him over the incident, and he was soon back in a command position and leading American forces to brilliant victories that helped win the war.
|
|
GymJones
|
|
|
09-05-09 9:48 PM
|
I for once agree with this editor. War is hell. The sooner we learn this, the better.
|
|
Graysongs
|
|
|
09-05-09 11:44 AM
|
General - I haven't seen the photo and I'm not going to see the photo. The Marine's family did not want it published. Both this newspaper and the Associated Press utterly disregarded them in their grief. There is no excuse for that and making a political matter of it is wrong.
|
|
ConservativeKaty
|
|
|
09-05-09 9:55 AM
|
General, as I am sure you recall, the last time you face-slapped a soldier you were ordered to apologize to a whole division. We the readers were face-slapped with a bloody photo of a heroic marine with his body blown to pieces and his hand still on his rifle as the last breath of life leaves him forever. We the readers did not deserve to be so insensitively slapped. We can find bloody pictures on our own if we really want to and not have them shoved in our faces against the wishes of a grieving ex-Marine father and against the protest of our patriotic and conservative Secretary of Defense. A full division apology is again in order, like it or not.
|
|
NancySI
|
|
|
09-05-09 9:21 AM
|
Got some major inadequacies there Gen. Ive noticed the right wing extremists wackos who post here always seem to have to compensate for some inadequacies they posses. This clown posts all types of violence in his posts, takes the name of war hero and Id bet he is like all the other repubs-start wars-send others kids.
|
|
GenGSPatton
|
|
|
09-05-09 7:57 AM
|
NancySI, so now they’ve printed a single photo. One. 1. And you call that a statistically relevant sample and proceed to publish an entire dissertation on the motivation for that act. I bet Harvard will award you a PhD for that brilliant work. Go back to your Kenyan Commander-in-Chief and tell him you’re out of ammo, you worthless liberal hack.
|
|
NancySI
|
|
|
09-05-09 7:24 AM
|
In 5 years how many pictures of mortally wounded troops were printed in this paper? 0-NONE-ZERO To print the picture now, for no other purpose than to continue your attack on the President of the US, is typical of the Southern Republican Party. I wonder if the few other papers in the country which printed the picture were from Alabama, Mississippi, and S. Carolina.
|
|
GenGSPatton
|
|
|
09-05-09 1:06 AM
|
What a bunch of puzzies. This lonely, little staunchly conservative paper makes one stupid mistake and you panty-waist conservatives are all ready to lynch the editor. Tell you what, go ahead and cancel your subscriptions and take out subscriptions to the New York Times - there’s an honest, military-supporting paper for you. Go change your voter registration to Democrat and go sing kumbaya down at the local ACORN office. That’ll show ‘em. Or get the f over it, tell the editor “that’s one, don’t do it again,” pull it together, and move on. War is hell. But subjugation under the boots of our current communist administration and this ultra-liberal congress will be far worse. Now stop crying, close ranks, and get back to the mission of busting liberal balls.
|
|
USMCDeathPimp
|
|
|
09-04-09 11:39 PM
|
COL - 40 degrees 3.895N 80 degrees 43.399W Elevation 653 feet
|
|
RetColonel
|
|
|
09-04-09 11:20 PM
|
Standing by for JDAM coordinates to treasonous aiders and abetters. Will not stand down.
|
|
USMCDeathPimp
|
|
|
09-04-09 10:27 PM
|
Colonel. Do not break squelch.
|
|
RetColonel
|
|
|
09-04-09 10:22 PM
|
USMC: Roger that. Time for a "Special Forces" visit to the newsroom? Count me in.
|
|
USMCDeathPimp
|
|
|
09-04-09 10:02 PM
|
news.yahoo****/s/ap/20090904/ap_on_re_us/afghan_death_ap_photo
|
|
USMCDeathPimp
|
|
|
09-04-09 9:50 PM
|
if you advertise in this newspaper, you DONT get my business, or any other Marines business when the word is passed. In fact, im sure you will be told personally to get out of this piece of s**t newspaper, but this is just the small stuff to come...
|
|
nonohioan
|
|
|
09-04-09 9:19 PM
|
I hope this never happens but theoretically...Would you post a picture of a congressional person's son or daughter dieing? I think not. This whole thing pathetic nad very unsympathatic to those who are at home suffering with PTSD and their own injuries. And I will never pay for this paper again.
|
|
USMCDeathPimp
|
|
|
09-04-09 9:18 PM
|
This is one of those times that I dont mind if my anger throws me in jail. Your "objective journalism' comment is so self-serving i hope your "followers' come to thier senses about you and your journalism. You have crossed a line that you will regret. Semper Fi is not taken lightly in our combat family.
|
|
USMCDeathPimp
|
|
|
09-04-09 8:58 PM
|
The family BEGGED for the photo NOT to be used. Unintell does it again. Typical RepubliCON BullCrap.
|
|
pshs1981
|
|
|
09-04-09 8:41 PM
|
Well said RodneyKing...As the mother of a Marine my heart is broken by this decision. When did this "paper" forget the definition of humanity?
|
|
darkknight
|
|
|
09-04-09 5:50 PM
|
RodneyKing and VAfan832- I could not of said it better myself!
|
|
Graysongs
|
|
|
09-04-09 5:45 PM
|
Rodney King - You make a very compelling argument. Even if the AP chose to run the photo or photos, that doesn't require the newspaper to carry them.
|
|
RodneyKing
|
|
|
09-04-09 5:23 PM
|
I consider myself a conservative, and no fan of Obama. Having said that, I am certain this photo would not be published in this paper if there were a republican administration. You can write about putting a face on war. What you have done is put a face on a mothers dying son. Without great folks like you, and other sensationalist papers, her memories would be of her living son. Now she can remember the torment and suffering of his final moments on Earth. She now has a photo diary of the absolute worst and most painful moment of her baby's life. Right before it ended.*****you are lucky there is not a competing paper around here. If not for lining bird cages, I don't know what your rag would be good for.
|