Dying marine
Depicting the reality of conflict is probably beyond the range of any photograph, but a good picture can at least capture something of the experience of those involved.
The recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have often been seen through the eyes of video images captured by military hardware. Guided missiles record their last moments until impact, all very clever, but obviously they fail to capture the destruction and death they cause.
Photographers on the ground are usually embedded with troops, and that comes with a long list of engagement rules. There are things you can and can't photograph and occasionally a photographer will be sanctioned if the military feels they have stepped out of line.
There is currently a row in the US surrounding a picture taken by Associated Press (AP) photographer Julie Jacobson whilst on patrol with US marines in Helmand province of southern Afghanistan.
Jacobson's picture shows the moment after Lance Corporal Joshua Bernard, aged 21, was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in a Taliban ambush on 14 August. Bernard was transported by helicopter to Camp Leatherneck where he later died of his wounds.
The picture is one of a sequence taken in mid-August that shows the marines on patrol and their engagement in a firefight with the Taliban.
The photograph was taken from a distance but the AP decided to hold off publication until after Bernard was buried.
When the picture was shown before publication to Bernard's family, his father objected, saying it was disrespectful. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates also wrote a strongly worded letter to AP President and CEO Tom Curley, saying it was a matter of "judgment and common decency" not to use the photo.
In response, AP senior managing editor, John Daniszewski, said he respected Gates' view but that sometimes the government and press had different perspectives. "We thought that the image told a story of sacrifice; it told a story of bravery," Daniszewski added in a later statement. "We believe this image is part of the history of this war. The story and photos are in themselves a respectful treatment and recognition of sacrifice."
A check by AP on Friday found the story had been published on at least 20 newspaper front pages, though the picture was only used, if at all, on the inside pages.
We have not reproduced the picture here as the family have made it clear they don't want it to be shown. Using images of death, or in this case the moment that caused death, is something covered by our editorial guidelines.
It's true to say that war by its very nature is distressing and to only see one side of a conflict can give a false impression. Look back through the pictures of the last century's many wars and you will find many photographs like this one, the war in Vietnam being a prime example, yet there are few that have been published in the West in recent times.
You do of course have to be mindful of those pictured and their families, and show respect. The photographer did indeed show all the images to Bernard's comrades who had no objection to them being published.
Photographer Nick Danziger, who has worked in many conflict zones, said in an interview on the BBC World Service that:
"You are there to do a job to depict the reality of a situation and war is dirty, messy and results in huge loss of life. Therefore you sometimes question what you are doing there when the editors that have sent you don't publish the images which have been taken at great risk to one's personal life, but also when I have been with soldiers they also do their utmost to secure you from incoming fire."
There is also the political angle. One can understand why depicting the death of a soldier would be opposed by governments, yet pictures showing dead enemy combatants are released by the same governments - one notable example being the pictures of Saddam Hussein's sons from 2003.
There's no right and wrong answer on this one.
I'm 
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~40~RS~)
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I saw the picture in the Observer on Sunday, I think that these kinds of pictures should be shown. After all, the photographer was there to take pictures of what happened. Not publishing the picture won't turn back time and stop the event from happening.
I also believe quite the opposite of the family in that not publishing the picture would disrespect the Marine's memory, however, I respect that the family feel differently and their wishes should be upheld.
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This reports only shows the futility in the things we call just. Even though the young man who passed away in this war, fought with his comrades against something they believe would be a danger to his country, it stills makes me go cold to see such a waste of life. This reporter's pictures should not be taken as offensive to the US troops, but if the wishes of the family request they not be shown, then that request must be respected.
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The family, friends, every citizen hurts when we lose one of our own, WAR is ugly, we send them out to fight, but we have this shiny picture of them on the mantel. Brothers and sisters when you get to the battle, it is not all shiny anymore, I feel like that some of the folks that do not know what WAR is all about should have a close up picture of what our brothers and sisters face and suffer in battle. The loss of a family memeber, friend, brother, sister is with you until you leave this world and go on to your eternal place, there is no way to stop the hurt, but we must remember the "Brave" that go and fight to protect this great republic. I as many will carry the heart ache for the family and their loss of their "Brave""Marine" the rest of my days, there are no words we can say, but thank you for your "Brave""Son". God Bless.
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There have never been wars so carefully stage managed for the press by the military as the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
I have yet to see any real war footage on the news, nor any real war pictures.
And that absolutely shapes the publics attitude towards war, and allowing their taxes to fund it.
Our view of war is so sanitized that we simply accept that grainy black and white pictures from hundreds of meters in the air are a legitimate means to determine the veracity of a target for massive bombs. The "drones".
It is a sick irony, that name. Drones with grainy vision, sent by drones with grainy vision, are doing the killing.
It is the virtually blind leading the morally blind. Dare I call it terrorism? A campaign of terror? No, because we do not see the terror in the faces of the children who live in the drone zone.
Therefore it does not exist. Those are the rules of engagement.
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There is a right and wrong answer. The wannabe "photojournalist" reaching for that pulitzer had broken the embed rules for one. She openly admitted that taking the photo was more important to her than trying to aid a dying Marine. That alone tells me what kind of human being she is.
The father requested TWICE that the photo not be used, as well as Secretary Gates. By releasing this photo what they took away was this Marines mother's hope and prayer that her son died quick and in no pain. I can assure you there are other families that would have no problem w/their dying child being a media message to the horrors of war, but this family didn't. Their wishes should have been respected. Period.
Not long ago a journalist was kidnapped, the media had no problem protecting their own, but when it comes to others it's all about the dollar. Screw them. One of these days they will get theirs and I will rejoice. Karma is a great thing.
My question is why don't we see the horrors of war created by the Taliban killing innocent children and hacking off heads?
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I'm consistently amazed at how people (both individuals and governments alike) think that they can dictate any journalistic output. Journalism is about reporting what has taken place, without covering up any facts or hiding the often painful truth. Yet in this day and age, people are so obsessed with the concept of "privacy" that they want to cover things up. Reporting is becoming increasingly a propaganda tool, which is devaluing the whole concept. Of course, propaganda will always be around, but the modern news agencies are supposed to be distinct from the governments and societies that they exist in and to be impartial.
Of course, if we go back in history and look at the photographers of World War II (Robert Capa et al) and we'll see countless images of wounded, or dead soldiers from both sides of the conflict - but nobody tried to repress those images. What does this say about modern sensitivities? That we're unwilling to come to terms with the fact that people die in war? Or maybe that we don't look beyond our own immediate emotions to see how something can help?
Ultimately, we cannot expect privacy outside of our own homes. You cannot demand that a photograph not be used for editorial purposes simply because you don't like it. Good on those papers that ran the image, shame on those who backed down from their journalistic heritage.
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"There is no right and wrong answer on this one." Really? I'm baffled...why were the wishes of this brave marine's parents not honored? If this were your son, and you had pleaded for restraint, would you have reached the same conclusion? The AP and their photo-journalist may, for a time, bask in the limelight of recognition for hard-hitting, brutally honest war coverage, but at what cost to this family? Their son is dead and buried, with only his sacred memory to cherish. Oops, did I say "sacred?" I must have forgotten... "There's no right and wrong answer on this one."
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I've seen the picture. I feel for the family of the soldier. Their son is an American hero.
As a rule Americans have allowed pictures of battle or its aftermath to be published going back to the Civil War. Films of the Normandy invasion do show guys just dropping in the surf, dead. So, this is nothing new. Our tradition, though, prohibits the display of body parts or dismembered corpses. We will show burns but typically only of civilians as an illustration of an atrocity.
This photo meets our standards, I believe.
The thing that's different in this case is that we know the soldier's name and have even heard from his father, who has requested that it not be shown. That's new. All the dead in photos from our past are anonymous. I'm not sure how I feel about it.
It would be nice to know what the Marines think.
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When will we actually get to that war to end all wars? I'm so tired of hearing of these young boys and girls dying on the field of battle, I wonder if at that age I'd have truly understand all the reasons I was putting my life at risk. Had it been a war like WWII where our country was attacked and we had no choice and another country had openly declared war with us then the understanding would become easier, but it's not that way with this. My heart aches for these youngsters to come home, it aches for the parents who get bad news, and it aches for the buddies they leave behind realizing their facing the possibility of the same ending.
I feel it's time we, the USA, stop trying to police the entire world ourselves. If we're in pacts with other countries who agree to take action then why is it always the majority of USA troops seen, are the other nations there in word only? We fight this kind of war and drive our nation into economic stress to the point we're having trouble taking care of our own peoples needs. Let these troops come home, let others in our pacts to stand up against these people take the front role for awhile, we need a break, we can't do it all alone and that's what it appears to be happening.
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While there is a good argument for respecting the wishes of a dead soldier's family, it is also a perfect excuse for imposing politically motivated censorship. To allow the grim reality of the effect of war to be seen in all it's technicolour horror will quickly turn the already established unpopularity of the campaign into an unstoppable goundswell of anti-war action. Governments in most western nations will well remember how the graphic footage from Vietnam turned the American public from being gung-ho supporters of the war against communism (sound familiar?), into a nation that was ashamed of
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The photo was a shot of soldier dying. Nothing glorious, nothing unrespectful. It was truth. As a people we should see what we're asking our men and women of the armed services to sacrifice. It's far from pretty. We hear the numbers of our fallen, but numbers are far removed from a soldiers daily reality. War should disturb us, and the photo of this soldiers final day seems to have done just that.
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As a member of the US Armed forces currently serving on active duty, with a brother serving in Afghanistan, I feel it necessary to comment on this article. In my day to day activities, I have the privilege of working with members of the US Congress and their staffs, and I feel it is completely necessary for them to be able to see images, like the one that Ms. Jacobson took. I feel it is also necessary for the American people to be able to see them. I respect the families desire not to have this image shown, but at the same time, I feel it shows the true nature of battle, and the horrible circumstances under which their son gave his life. I fully support our war on terror and our efforts on all fronts, so I do not want these photos to stop the war, but people should be able to see that war is not all push buttons and Predator drones. That real Americans are out on the front lines making the ultimate sacrifice so that we may remain free back home. There is a real cost to this war, and others, and it isn't just the money that Congress and the American people (including myself) spend to fight the wars, the real cost is in lives. Both those tragically lost in battle, and those who's lives are forever changed by the injuries suffered in war. Without the ability to see these things, people will continue to take our freedom for granted. To his family, please allow this photo to remind all Americans everywhere that freedom is NOT free!
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A life has been snuffed, a life not lived, with all he might have contributed to this world. We will never know! A photograph that will show the senseless waste of a valuable person may just bring people closer to protesting war tactics as an answer to current problems.
Thousands have died for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That includes military, civilians and photographers.
Show reality, his comrades feel it and see it every day and said that they were alright with the photo being published.
Sanitizing the news, sanitizing images, sanitizing thought, stops people from knowing emotional reality and rising up against the destruction of life and culture.
My deepest condolences to the Father and entire family for this tragic loss of their son.
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I also wanted to say that as a young photojournalist working out of a tv newsroom in the late sixties, I watched all news reports of Vietnam and and all wire photos coming across the machines.
I felt great sorrow on hearing the news of the death of British photographer Larry Burrows over Laos in a downed helicopter. I had greatly admired his images and felt he had done an outstanding effort in making photos that showed the real events in that war. His images will
always live on in my memory
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The attempt of the media to justify somehow ignoring the family's request and print the picture of a dying marine is beyond reason! This young man and his family deserve the honor of their request being followed. Throughout history America's greatest young and and women have chose to make the ultimate sacrifice for our country and each of us as Americans. There is not one reason that would justify showing this picture. GOD bless America and the young men and women that defend it. HOOAH!
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Having just watched Julie Jacobsons account I was surprised to find myself shocked at how I take my freedom for granted, although it is in the papers everyday I can choose to turn the page, to ignore what is going on because I do not necessarily want to know. This account gave me my first view of what these individuals do, what they sacrifice, what they give and I was moved to tears. These accounts show us at home that what we read means more than words in a story, the people are more than just a photo, the job is more than running around with a gun.
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