CNN defends showing American soldier shot by insurgent sniper

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by IminWonderland

So you are saying that it is better that the reality of death in the time of war be vague and common with no face to it? So every soldier should just be a number? So that way the public doesn't have to look at the picture of a dead soldier and think "Gee that looks like my son" or "My cousin is that age" or "My Dad is in that Unit" or knowing anything about the dead soldiers would "hurt our feelings"? This to me is just like when they were sending the caskets home, and they censored showing them coming off the planes. You raise the disrespect flag, but if people are going to continue to support the war, and the administration, then the facts need to be faced of what happens in war.

Just because I don't want to see soldier's heads getting blown off on the nightly news doesn't mean I want all soldiers to just be a number. And I have no problem seeing caskets coming home. I have a problem if they're exploited.

We can't all walk away with pictures of a hoisted flag after battle (Iwo jima) without the knowllege of 25,851 Casualties going along with that picture. You can't have pictures of Soldiers passing out candy to kids without seeing the aftermath of a carbomb.

I can't help but remember it being the "RIGHT" telling the "LEFT" War is Hell, and that the LEFT should stop harping on the amount of Dead Soldiers, after all...War is HELL. And now the RIGHT wants to cry about our soldiers death being aired? Don't you remember that WAR IS HELL?

Yes war is hell. It's a horrible reality of our civilization and the world. It's a necessary evil of humanity. It is for this reason it doesn't need to be aired all over nightly news to these graphic extremes. "Hell" doesn't get a PG rating from me or something that is worthy of being aired on the nightly news. Talking about it, showing videos, etc is one thing. But showing people get shot in the head isn't appropriate in my book. And apparently many others agree.

It's not about seeing reality. We've all at some point seen someone get shot in the head (Kennedy), etc. I just personally find the use of this video by CNN at this time and political climate inappropriate.

[IminWonderland]

Originally Posted by JaJae

Just because I don't want to see soldier's heads getting blown off on the nightly news doesn't mean I want all soldiers to just be a number. And I have no problem seeing caskets coming home. I have a problem if they're exploited.


Yes war is hell. It's a horrible reality of our civilization and the world. It's a necessary evil of humanity. It is for this reason it doesn't need to be aired all over nightly news to these graphic extremes. "Hell" doesn't get a PG rating from me or something that is worthy of being aired on the nightly news. Talking about it, showing videos, etc is one thing. But showing people get shot in the head isn't appropriate in my book. And apparently many others agree.

It's not about seeing reality. We've all at some point seen someone get shot in the head (Kennedy), etc. I just personally find the use of this video by CNN at this time and political climate inappropriate.

I'm glad that you don't get to make the decision on when to air this. Because I have a feeling if you did, it would get aired when the war is popular, so that way we can all say "See why we are over there killin' them? SAVAGES!"

This getting shows now, and it being an unpopular war right now, is just confirming what most of us have felt for a while now....

[SpicyMcVoodoo]

It baffles me why people would ever criticize the media for showing reality. That's their job. Criticize them all you want for misrepresenting reality, but simply showing it to you?! What kind of sheepish, head in the sand mentality is that?

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by IminWonderland

I'm glad that you don't get to make the decision on when to air this. Because I have a feeling if you did, it would get aired when the war is popular, so that way we can all say "See why we are over there killin' them? SAVAGES!"

This getting shows now, and it being an unpopular war right now, is just confirming what most of us have felt for a while now....

It's not that it's unpopular. I just have a personal disagreement with showing our military or law enforcement officials getting shot in the head on nightly news. Especially when so many of our servicmen are overseas and their families are home watching the nightly news praying for their family's safety. It just shows very little tact.

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by SpicyMcVoodoo

It baffles me why people would ever criticize the media for showing reality. That's their job. Criticize them all you want for misrepresenting reality, but simply showing it to you?! What kind of sheepish, head in the sand mentality is that?

Reality? Should they also have shown the beheading videos. Should CNN have shown an American getting his head sawed off alive and conscious? Should only the screams have been aired? Where do we draw the line? Should we show footage of the men being tortured, dismembered, burned and hung from the bridges of Fallujah? The line has to be drawn somewhere, no? For me, I'm willing to draw the line at marines getting shot in the head.

[Nonphixion]

Originally Posted by JaJae

Print Story: CNN airs footage of Iraq sniper attacks on Yahoo! News

They admit the source of the video was a terrorist leader who wanted this video aired on American television. Which is exactly what CNN did.

More spin, JaeJae That is not the truth.

The insurgent leader sent the tape to prove who he claimed to be, not for airtime. CNN made that decision on their own; to show the real story of what's going on in Iraq.

Not to bend the truth, ignore facts, and downright "make up a new reality" about the situation. Just like the Bush administration seems to have an affinity for. Making up casualty figures, lying about deaths, lying about the situation on the ground.

[SpicyMcVoodoo]

Originally Posted by JaJae

Reality? Should they also have shown the beheading videos. Should CNN have shown an American getting his head sawed off alive and conscious? Should only the screams have been aired? Where do we draw the line? Should we show footage of the men being tortured, dismembered, burned and hung from the bridges of Fallujah? The line has to be drawn somewhere, no? For me, I'm willing to draw the line at marines getting shot in the head.

It depends. If it was worth it to do a segment on snipers in Iraq, it was worth it to show a sniper shooting a soldier. If they're doing a segment on beheadings in Iraq, then show a beheading. I'm not saying the nightly news should be a random collection of gory images which serve no purpose, but if there's a video attached to whatever it is you're talking about, then show it. If not, then what is the point of using the television medium? To see the anchor's pretty mouth move?

[Nonphixion]

Originally Posted by JaJae

Reality? Should they also have shown the beheading videos. Should CNN have shown an American getting his head sawed off alive and conscious? Should only the screams have been aired? Where do we draw the line? Should we show footage of the men being tortured, dismembered, burned and hung from the bridges of Fallujah? The line has to be drawn somewhere, no? For me, I'm willing to draw the line at marines getting shot in the head.

You admit it yourself that conditions are abysmal. Everyday in Baghdad 50+ bodies turn up, but whitewashed news media protect you from the truth of what really happens to them. Not once has any media outlet ever described the full extent of what is happening to the Iraqi citizens. It's a whitewash.

Soldiers on the ground tell the most common methods of torture for being of a different faith are;
1. Corrosive acids poured/dripped on the face and genitals
2. Electric drills used to bore holes in the body and head (back of skull, side [temple], and jaw)
3. Dismemberment of the feet/hands (toes or fingers, more rarely the whole appendage) or removal of the genitals

And this goes on an average 50 times per day ... in just one city.

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by Nonphixion

More spin, JaeJae That is not the truth.

The insurgent leader sent the tape to prove who he claimed to be, not for airtime. CNN made that decision on their own; to show the real story of what's going on in Iraq.

Not to bend the truth, ignore facts, and downright "make up a new reality" about the situation. Just like the Bush administration seems to have an affinity for. Making up casualty figures, lying about deaths, lying about the situation on the ground.

Spin? I can find hundreds of articles making the claim that the video was insurgent propaganda.

CNN has reported they aired the video not to identify someone as you claim, but to show the American people the "threat of snipers in Iraq." The tape was sent to them by an insurgent and it was aired.

This tape was recorded and given to the American media outlets for one purpose... to shake up the American people. And CNN aired it.

And not that it's relevant, but I believe the liberals have made up more casualty figures than the administration.

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by Nonphixion

Soldiers on the ground tell the most common methods of torture for being of a different faith are;
1. Electric drills used to bore holes in the body and head (back of skull, side [temple], and jaw)
3. Dismemberment of the feet/hands (toes or fingers, rarely the whole appendage) or removal of the genitals
3. Corrosive acids poured on the face and genitals

And if that's true and there's a video, I'd be against CNN airing that too.

[KatKanPlay]

Originally Posted by JaJae

And if that's true and there's a video, I'd be against CNN airing that too.

Then turn the channel or turn the TV off or boycott CNN. I want to know everything there is too know regardless of how unpleasant.

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by KatKanPlay

Then turn the channel or turn the TV off or boycott CNN. I want to know everything there is too know regardless of how unpleasant.

That's the whole point. Nobody is trying to censure CNN or saying they can't air this. I haven't seen one person or report stating that. I have seen many reports of people of all political backgrounds annoyed with CNN for airing this. The whole point is to make a fuss about it in hopes of hurting their company monetarily. I have the ability to turn the channel or boycott their station. I'm not advocating people do anything other than that if they're offended. I'm discussing this issue because it is a pretty hot on google news right now and it's getting a ton of written media. It seems like a fairly hot issue. I'm giving my point of view and being called out for censorship and other things. All I'm saying is I feel it's in bad taste and I hope whatever criticisms they receive hurts their company.

[IminWonderland]

Well Ja, you can want to hurt them monetarily all you want. But, I think your audience with sympathy has gotten smaller than it did 4 years ago.

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by IminWonderland

Well Ja, you can want to hurt them monetarily all you want. But, I think your audience with sympathy has gotten smaller than it did 4 years ago.

sympathy?

[KatKanPlay]

Originally Posted by JaJae

That's the whole point. Nobody is trying to censure CNN or saying they can't air this. I haven't seen one person or report stating that. I have seen many reports of people of all political backgrounds annoyed with CNN for airing this. The whole point is to make a fuss about it in hopes of hurting their company monetarily. I have the ability to turn the channel or boycott their station. I'm not advocating people do anything other than that if they're offended. I'm discussing this issue because it is a pretty hot on google news right now and it's getting a ton of written media. It seems like a fairly hot issue. I'm giving my point of view and being called out for censorship and other things. All I'm saying is I feel it's in bad taste and I hope whatever criticisms they receive hurts their company.

So that they will think twice before showing something like that again... that is the goal.....

I see that as a form of censorship. If your emotions or anyone elses get enoough control on CNN's purse strings, then you in effect are censoring what I want to watch by reducing my options. How can that not be censorship?

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by KatKanPlay

So that they will think twice before showing something like that again... that is the goal.....

I see that as a form of censorship. If your emotions or anyone elses get enoough control on CNN's purse strings, then you in effect are censoring what I want to watch by reducing my options. How can that not be censorship?

How is that censorship? It's not my emotions controlling CNN, it's their revenues they're worried about. I'm entitled to voice my political beliefs the same as they're entitled to air the video. If they feel it's more profitable for them not to, they won't air it. That's not censorship, it's capitalism and democracy.

Censorship would be regulating what they can air. Are people censoring George Bush by holding protest rallies? That's basically the same logic. I disagree with CNN's actions here so I'm saying something about it. If they care enough what people who share my opinion think they'll change. If not they're free to do whatever they want.

There is no censorship here. Dissenting view is not censorship. Another example would be Michael Moore bashing Bush at the Oscars. People booed and got pissed off. He had the right to do it (as long as the venue allowed it). Nobody objected to his right to say what he did. But many people were upset and hoped it would hurt his profits. Saying you disagree with his speech and calling it tactless is not censorship. Choosing not to watch his films is not censorship. Hoping he loses revenue is not censorship.

I don't understand why I've been accused of this over and over again. None of my views in this thread have been anywhere near the notion of censorship.

[7th Ninjai]

Originally Posted by JaJae

Reality? Should they also have shown the beheading videos. Should CNN have shown an American getting his head sawed off alive and conscious? Should only the screams have been aired? Where do we draw the line? Should we show footage of the men being tortured, dismembered, burned and hung from the bridges of Fallujah? The line has to be drawn somewhere, no? For me, I'm willing to draw the line at marines getting shot in the head.

I don't draw the line anywhere. It's reality. Anyone can turn the channel.

[KatKanPlay]

Originally Posted by JaJae

How is that censorship? It's not my emotions controlling CNN, it's their revenues they're worried about. I'm entitled to voice my political beliefs the same as they're entitled to air the video. If they feel it's more profitable for them not to, they won't air it. That's not censorship, it's capitalism and democracy.

Censorship would be regulating what they can air. Are people censoring George Bush by holding protest rallies? That's basically the same logic. I disagree with CNN's actions here so I'm saying something about it. If they care enough what people who share my opinion think they'll change. If not they're free to do whatever they want.

There is no censorship here. Dissenting view is not censorship.

This is not "just" a dissenting view. It is an attempt to control what CNN air's by taking action to cause a negative monetary affect. You are in attempt working to censor what I want to see on CNN in the media....

Turn your channel, turn it off, but do not try to change it. There are pleny of other sources for you to turn too.