Newsvine
  • Welcome
  • Help
  • Report Bug
  • Conversation Tracker
  • Your Column
  • Replies
  • Friends
Type Comments Since You Last CheckedArticle Source Last Checked Stop Tracking All Clear Tracking All
Advertise | AdChoices
Log In | Register
Close the Login Panel
Existing users log in below. New users please register for a free account.

New Users:

Existing Users:

E-Mail:
Password:
Forgot Password?
Please enter the e-mail address or domain name you registered with:
E-Mail/Domain:
Back to Login
Log Out
  • Top News
  • Local News
  • World
  • U.S.
  • Sports
  • Politics
  • Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Science
  • Business
  • Health
  • Odd News
  • More
    • Arts
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Fashion
    • History
    • Home & Garden
    • Not News
    • Religion
    • Travel
What is Newsvine?

Updated continuously by citizens like you, Newsvine is an instant reflection of what the world is talking about at any given moment.

Get a Free Account
Help
Fun Stuff
  • Your Clippings
  • Leaderboard
  • E-Mail Alerts
  • Top of the Vine
  • Newsvine Live
  • Newsvine Archives
  • The Greenhouse
  • Recommended Articles
  • Wall of Vineness
Put a Seed Newsvine link on your own site

Why AP is publishing photos of US war dead

Sun Dec 5, 2010 8:05 AM EST
world-news, afghanistan, as, photos, unit, medevac, ap-photographer-brennan-linsley
The Associated Press, STF
Advertise | AdChoices

NEW YORK — AP Photographer Brennan Linsley spent a week in September embedded with an Army medevac team rescuing wounded U.S. troops from the battlefields of Afghanistan. Over a few intense days, he witnessed heroism, determination and tragedy.

He also witnessed — and photographed — two U.S. Marines who had been badly wounded in the fighting and who died of their injuries.

Images of the medics' unsuccessful attempts to save the two are part of a story and photo package on Linsley's time with the combat casualty evacuation unit. There also are photos of two wounded Marines who were rescued and survived.

Because of the delicate nature of some of the images, the AP transmitted the story and photos in advance to give editors more time to decide if and how they want to use the material.

The distribution and publication of photos of dead servicemen and women can be controversial because some people feel it disrespectful. Others feel such images reflect the realities of combat.

That is the AP's position, said John Daniszewski, the Senior Managing Editor responsible for international news and photos, including a number of conflicts around the globe.

"The photos show the work of the crew and the compassion and professionalism of the medics on board these helicopters in a way that is accurate, true and tasteful," he said.

Linsley's images "capture some desperately urgent moments," said AP Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll. "Those moments and those frantic efforts to preserve a life are completely familiar to the men and women in the fields of war. We are in the fields with them to document every aspect of war and death is simply a part of that reality."

As a courtesy to the families of the two fallen Marines, Linsley contacted them to inform them of the publication plans.

Linsley visited the widow and other relatives of Lance Cpl. Ross Carver, and spoke by phone with the uncle and family spokesman for Lance Cpl. Joshua Twigg.

In a story accompanying the photos, Linsley describes his feelings as a photojournalist witnessing such terrible scenes. "When a soldier or Marine dies, it makes the war horribly real," he writes. "As I was photographing the dying man half my age, I thought about all the things he would never see or do."

He also writes that he feels obliged to tell their story. "The words of soldiers and Marines I've patrolled on the ground with echoed through my head, always some variation of this: `The people back home don't have (any) idea what we're going through here,'" he wrote. "'You can show them.'"

Since the Obama administration overturned an 18-year ban on covering the return of dead U.S. service personnel, the AP has been the only news organization to document every repatriation for which families have granted media access through the military: 429 of them.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
  • Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.

Back To Top | Front Page

Published to:

  • The Associated Press's Column, All of Newsvine
  • Groups: none
  • Regions: United States , Afghanistan , New York
  • Public Discussion (1)
Dave-235251

I'm sure they will do laminated blow-ups for the pleasure of various Islamists who will revel in the images of yet more dead infidels.

When will the media actually cover enemy death tolls and pictures of them?

If we had this kind of media coverage in WW2 Hitler would have walked it as we would have, as we are doing now, lost the war ourselves...in our own papers (and now of course, TV).

    Reply#1 - Thu Dec 16, 2010 3:57 PM EST
    Leave a Comment:
    You're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead.
    You're in XHTML Mode. If you prefer, you can use Easy Mode instead.
    (XHTML tags allowed - a,b,blockquote,br,code,dd,dl,dt,del,em,h2,h3,h4,i,ins,li,ol,p,pre,q,strong,ul)
    Newsvine Privacy Statement
    As a new user, you may notice a few temporary content restrictions. Click here for more info.
    FUN STUFF:
    • Leaderboard |
    • E-Mail Alerts |
    • Top of the Vine |
    • Newsvine Live |
    • Newsvine Archives |
    • The Greenhouse
    COMPANY STUFF:
    • Code of Honor |
    • Company Info |
    • Contact Us |
    • Jobs |
    • User Agreement |
    • Privacy Policy |
    • About our ads
    LEGAL STUFF:
    • © 2005-2012 Newsvine, Inc. |
    • Newsvine® is a registered trademark of Newsvine, Inc. |
    • Newsvine is a property of msnbc.com