Controversial Photos

In 2009, Lance Corporal Joshua M. Bernard died while serving his country in Afghanistan. On the scene of his death was a photojournalist working for AP, that photojournalist managed to capture Joshua's last moments through their lens. The death of the soldier is horrible, but things like death and injury happen everyday during wars. When AP released the photos of Joshua Bernard's death to the public, it was a controversial move. Many people thought it was unfair to the family (who had asked for the photos to not be released), but I believe that everyone deserves to see and know what it is truly like in Afghanistan. I understand that the family is in pain from his death, but hiding the real world from the people of America will keep people from understanding how much soldiers are risking for their country. Photos from the tragedy of September 11, 2001 are another example. Although the men and women dying are other people's parents, brother, sisters, and friends, the rest of the country needs to realize just how big of a deal the event was. You cannot get that type of understanding by reading an article because the family would not let the photos be published, it goes with the saying "you have to see it to believe it," and photos are the perfect choice for that.

I believe it is the ethical standards of the media to print what is the truth. Hiding the truth and making everything seem like it is fine and not as bad as it really is, is wrong. It is a form of lying, and lying to the country is not the type of values that the United States of America were founded on. The media also needs to learn to moderate their pictures and make sure they are not printing photos that are too gory or violent. Getting the point across about tragedies is hard on anyone who's loved one is the victim, but if the media stopped printing all the photos of those people who suffered, then no person would be able to comprehend the magnitude of the horrible events that effect people everyday.