Case Study 2

One morning at the end of my eighth grade year, not but six months after Sept. 11, 2001, my homeroom class began the day by murmuring some words about "to the republic...yada, yada, yada..." with nary a hand on the heart. That is, except for that of a substitute teacher who was in charge of our class that day. When we were done, she made us stand up and do it again, this time the right way, saying all the words out loud. "Your generation has not seen a war like generations before you have," she said. We didn't understand how important our freedom was, even after it was attacked within our very borders.

And this war is no different. Most people know of someone who is in Iraq or they've had a neighbor who knows someone who died over there, but for the most part we live our lives in ignorant bliss. However, I don't think that's license to display graphic photos of dead bodies to the whole world. Not just for the fact that it is unprofessional and sensational, but because it's disrespectful to the people who are pictured, whether they're American soldiers or bodies of the enemy. There are better ways to express to readers the tragic loss of life and the intense suffering that is happening in the Middle East. It's easier and more shocking to show a picture, but we're not in the business of easy.