4 September 2009
Grieving Family vs. Journalistic Duty
Posted by Terrie Soberg under: What's News .
Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard was killed in Afghanistan after he was hit by a grenade. He was taken to a field hospital and died on the operating table. Julie Jacobsen, an AP photographer, took the picture of Bernard as he was being attended by his fellow soldiers.
Bernard’s father was shown the photos of his son. He asked that they not be published, because he felt they were disrespectful to his son’s memory.
Despite his request, the photos were shown. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called Tom Curley, President of the Associated Press to express his anger that the family’s wished had been ignore.
“Why your organization would purposefully defy the family’s wishes knowing full well that it will lead to yet more anguish is beyond me,” Gates wrote. He also said that the release of the photo “appalling” and a breach of “common decency.”
How do you feel about the AP’s decision to publish the photo of Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard after he was hit by the grenade? Was it appropriate or an invasion of privacy? In a time where news from around the world can be broadcast in the blink of an eye, the AP did choose to hold the photo until after Bernard’s funeral. Was that enough or should the photo remain unseen by the public?
If it were my son, I wouldn’t want that picture to be released. The family’s request should have been honored.
Mail this post
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
