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I'm not sure what was to be gained by this. I can't imagine any parent being subject to this bullshit.

From NBC’s Courtney Kube
For the first time since he took office as Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates has reached out to a news organization to ask them not to publish a photograph.

While an Associated Press photographer was embedded with Marines in Helmand last month, a Marine convoy was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, or RPG. It struck Lance Corporal Joshua M. Bernard severing his legs. He was treated on the scene, but later died at a combat field hospital.

The AP took still photos and video of the attack, and of Bernard, as he lay dying.

Several weeks later, while working on a feature story about the war in Afghanistan, the AP reporter met with Bernard's family and told his father that they had photos and video of their son before he died. Bernard's father was furious that the photos of his mortally wounded son would potentially be published, so he reached out to the U.S. Marine Corps, asking them to stop the publication.

The AP had not violated any rules of embedding, so the Marines' hands were tied. Gates found out about this and called AP President Thomas Curley yesterday to try to stop the photo release.

Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said Gates called Curley yesterday and was \"begging him\" to \"defer to the wishes of the family,\" adding that the publication of the photo would \"cause them great pain.\"

AP disagreed and the photo was released.

Gates followed up with a scathing letter to Curley yesterday afternoon. The letter says Gates cannot imagine the pain Bernard's family is feeling right now, and that Curley's \"lack of compassion and common sense in choosing to put out this image of their maimed and stricken child on the front page of multiple newspapers is appalling. The issue here is not law, policy or constitutional right -- but judgment and common decency.\"

Morrell said Gates was disappointed that he could not convince Curley \"to do the right thing,\" but that the secretary is pleased this morning that most news outlets chose not to publish the photo.

i see where both sides are coming from. lets not forget there is a war goi g on. alot (most) people seem to have forgotten that. and im not a big fan of censorship either. but i see the militarys side also. could you imagine what thw publics reaction would have been if they saw unedited pics of d-day or iwo jima?

When the AP was told by the Father, \"NO\" they should of granted his wishes.

Theirs a line to be drawn in \"News and Taste\",

It was to me in Bad taste and the AP crossed the line. They could get the Military to \"Stop ALL Media\" access because of this.

Plus \"Freedom of Speech\" etc... if a Reporter Knows the Plans of a Up coming Offensive against the Bad Guys , He can't report that,until after.
If he reported before could he say \"Freedom of the Press??\"

This was a subject years ago of Major news papers and reporters on what is and not \"Morle\" and \"Un Morle\" as far as News.

The pictures crossed the lines. The Trawa pictures in Life were shown months after the invasion and the War was going very well but you couldn't tell the ID's of the GI's bodies.

This is nothing but a \"Money maker\" for the AP because the more it's talked about the more its shown and the AP gets credit.

Gates was right

Goose

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\"Live Free Or Die\"

Last week AP lost a lawsuit overhere in the Netherlands after releasing un-authorized pictures showing the Royal Family who had been on a vacation abroad. AP said the shots were legitimate but court said the shots were taken during a vacation and not at a public event so the pictures were violating privacy.

In case of the killed Marine, AP should have taken its responsability especially if relatives and an official requested to keep the involved pictures out of public access.
AP's action might be legal but not forgotten by others.

yet another good reason to keep the press away from military activity---they don't report it the way it happened anyway, and then they cause this kind of pain for what----???
I still say the media will be the death of this country. They are gov't censored, but cry \"freedom of press\" when it isn't dealing with the gov't, but at a personal level. What did they really gain by this???? Bastards.

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\"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a GAU-8/A at your side, kid.\"--Hawg Solo