Monday, February 20, 2006

The New Abu Ghraib Photos - Yet Another Failure of the Media

The new photos from the Iraqi prison obliterate any idea that what happened there wasn't torture. So why is CNN treating it like nothing more than a military scandal?

On Wednesday 16 February 2006, Australian public broadcaster SBS current affairs program DATELINE telecast a segment featuring 60 new photos of the torture inflicted on prisoners in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. It's much worse than previously imagined. The images are bloodier and more sexually charged than the originals. The new photos depict new incidents of homicide, torture and sexual humiliation and indicate a broader pattern of abuse than was previously understood.

To see these very disturbing photos for yourself, click here or download the video from dahrjamailiraq.com THESE PHOTOS ARE VERY DISTURBING. Please do not view this video if you are easily disturbed by graphic imagery of torture and death.

Honestly, these photos will bring tears to your eyes, sickness to your stomach, and pain to your heart. How could any human with a conscience feel otherwise? Well, apparently if you work for CNN, the real transgression was the documentation of the torture, not the actual torture itself.

Here's how CNN framed this:

Let's start by reminding everybody that under U.S. military law and practice, the only photographs that can be taken are official photographs for documentation purposes about the status of prisoners when they are in military detention. That's it. Anything else is not acceptable. And of course, that is what the Abu Ghraib Prison scandal is all about.
(story here)

More on Iraq, Media