CNN Insurgent Sniper Video from Iraq

[Andrew Henck]

There's been quite a lot of controversy within the news from many about CNN recently airing footage of a video shot from an insurgent group of snipers that filmed the killing of multiple U.S. soldiers in Iraq.

We talked about the controversy today in my Intro to Journalism class, watched the video in its entirety as it was aired on CNN and was asked if it was "journalism."

I'm interested if people here have been watching the news about the sniper video and/or have any thoughts about the airing of such tape on CNN.

[David Cash]

They play CNN at work a good share of the day, often with the volume low enough that I can't really get the full story of what is happening. I did gather that there was some controversy about something a CNN reporter had said or done.

I'm glad I didn't see the video of the soldiers getting killed.

Was it journalism? Likely.

The bigger question is, was it right? My father lay in a hospital dying (of natural causes) during the Gulf War in the early nineties. I was living the tension that went with waiting for the phone to ring with bad news day after day. It was very easy for me to understand the tension that each news report of another attack, of another unnamed soldier's death would bring to blue star families. It might have been interesting to people who weren't living their own tragedies, but for the families of the soldiers, the news had to be close to torture.

Do Americans need to know what is going on in Iraq? Yes. Do we need to look at the gory details of individual disaster, mostly for our own enternainment? Absolutely not! We whine about privacy in this country, but for all our self-righteous talk, looking down a sniper's gunsight at the death of his victim is about as nasty of invasion of privacy as we can get. I also hope we aren't all so soul-dead and unimaginative that the only way we can empathize with a fallen soldier is to watch him die up close and in color.

There is also a question of citizenship and loyalty. I realize that a lot of Americans don't like the Iraq war. I've never been wild about it myself. I also realize that there are people on this post from other countries who may not appreciate my patriotism. But whatever country one is from. If your country is at war, it is almost treason to go with enemy soldiers and calmly take pictures as they shoot your fellow citizens. There is kind of an obligation to at least grab that insurgent's gun as he pulls the trigger so he misses his target. Yeah, you'd be his next target, but at least you would have died defending you country, not pretending war was no more important than a football game to be reported neutrally. Journalism is importnant, but it isn't all important. There is a higher moral code than journalistic ethics. I feel this code was broken.

That higher moral code is probably broken everytime the cameras descend on grieving families at funerals, convicted felons as they walk in chains from their sentencing and beleaugered politicians. People in trouble--even deserved trouble--still need to be treated with respect, not descended upon by an army of shouting reporters.

Anyway, now that I've gotten emotional, that's how I see it.

David Cash

[Mark Doble]

After reviewing the CNN video and reading the related articleI do not think it was American or coalition forces that took the video. It was the enemy who shot footage of their snipers and sent the tape on to CNN as part of their propaganda war.

At that point it was CNN's call to air it or not. I wonder if CNN would be as willing to send that to the parents of the shot soldier... I have no respect for the media, at all...

[Jim Franklin]

The question comes to mind, is CNN embedded with US troops or 'in bed' with the insurgents?

[Doris Grant]

I was a photo journalist for 10 years. Just a small town newspaper. Never once did I take a picture of someone who had been killed (car wreck, construction accident, etc.) I didn't think the families of those involved needed to see what I had to see because of my job. People can see too much death and destruction, then they get used to it and it ceases to be real.

Doris

[Glenn Harris]

1. It should not be shown.

2. They have an agenda.

3. The embedded journalists should be pulled out.

Now, for the responses to the choices.

1. It should not be shown. It was not taken by an embedded journalist. It was taken by the terrorists themselves. Since when did an American News outlet become the Public Information Office for a terrorist group? It's not journalism, it's aiding and abetting the enemy and the last time I checked, that's a treasonable offense. (I feel the same way about the Osama bin Psycho tapes)

2. They have an agenda. In my work with the VFW I talk to a lot of returning soldiers and one thing I've historically found out is that FOR THE MOST PART, vets don't lie to or on other vets. (there are some exceptions that come to mind, one of which surfaced surfaced around 2004 but that's another story entirely) and while they say things are not good there, they lack equipment, direction and support, there are good things that are happening and the same statement I hear over and over again is "why can't the news ever show the good stuff?" Show the bad stuff because it's part of what is happening, but also show the good stuff because it is also part of what is happening. The good stuff doesn't sell news, and more importantly, it doesn't sell an agenda.

3. The journalists should be pulled out. I'm leery about this one simply because I don't trust politicians (on either side of the aisle) to play it straight, but unfortunately, I don't trust the news outlets to play it straight either. They ceased to be journalists a while a go, and now they are just commentators and there is a big difference.

[Donna Adams]

I have a son in law in Iraq, and he keeps telling us that what we see on our news here is not what's happening as it's happening over there. He told us the media is hyping it all up. And I believe that.

[Mark Doble]

Now, for the responses to the choices.

1. It should not be shown. It was not taken by an embedded journalist. It was taken by the terrorists themselves. Since when did an American News outlet become the Public Information Office for a terrorist group? It's not journalism, it's aiding and abetting the enemy and the last time I checked, that's a treasonable offense. (I feel the same way about the Osama bin Psycho tapes)

Point well made! You are exactly right.

The US Gov't should find out whom made the decision to air this and charge them with treason... OMG! It ain't rocket science.

If I was a US Citizen I would be taken that question directly to the President...

[Andrew Henck]

Now, for the responses to the choices.

1. It should not be shown. It was not taken by an embedded journalist. It was taken by the terrorists themselves. Since when did an American News outlet become the Public Information Office for a terrorist group? It's not journalism, it's aiding and abetting the enemy and the last time I checked, that's a treasonable offense. (I feel the same way about the Osama bin Psycho tapes)

Point well made! You are exactly right.

The US Gov't should find out whom made the decision to air this and charge them with treason... OMG! It ain't rocket science.

If I was a US Citizen I would be taken that question directly to the President...

"Aiding and abetting the enemy" or showing what is exactly going on in Iraq and the new technique that the insurgents are using that we are clearly not prepared for?

Should the world have gone on and not understood what Bin Laden's ideology and mentality against the U.S. was because the tapes were considered a "treasonous" offense and "should not have been shown?"

Is showing this video really an act of "treason," or could it be encouraging some thinking on most Americans parts as to whether or not we are able to withstand this new sniper technique vs. "staying the course" as is, with no change in thinking or strategy until "we win the war on terror?"

Just some thoughts on this early west coast morning...

[Billy Cox]

"Aiding and abetting the enemy" or showing what is exactly going on in Iraq and the new technique that the insurgents are using that we are clearly not prepared for?

Should the world have gone on and not understood what Bin Laden's ideology and mentality against the U.S. was because the tapes were considered a "treasonous" offense and "should not have been shown?"

Is showing this video really an act of "treason," or could it be encouraging some thinking on most Americans parts as to whether or not we are able to withstand this new sniper technique vs. "staying the course" as is, with no change in thinking or strategy until "we win the war on terror?"

Just some thoughts on this early west coast morning...

Yes, and the classic atrocity pictures from Vietnam should have been treasonable too since they portrayed things that patriotic Americans didn't want to acknowledge.

[Glenn Harris]

Yes, and the classic atrocity pictures from Vietnam should have been treasonable too since they portrayed things that patriotic Americans didn't want to acknowledge.

I don't see the correlation.

I specifically stated that my objection is that they were not taken by American Journalists, but by enemy compatants and that in my opinion the media playing them is just providing them the attention they crave. Same with the bin Laden tapes. By playing their films we are getting their message out for them. I guess if the news doesn't show their tapes then no one in the US will know that they hate us or that our soldiers are getting shot. It's a good thing we have them to make sure the message gets out.

[Jim Franklin]

Overwhelmingly returning troops are telling us that the liberal-leftist-defeatist news media are pulling the wool over the public's eyes by emphasizing the negative by a far stretch over the positive. And it is only a reversal of electoral projections that can hold them accountable. Their agenda is the same as it was in Vietnam.

[BobHunt]

There was a soldier in Iraq who was with an Amrican unit and they came upon a CNN crew, and the military unit immediately stopped and went no farther, until the CNN crew picked up and left. Why? Because CNN just waits until they can film something gory to make it big news here in the states. I do not have names but this was broadcast on Moody yesterday and also on Hannity last night.