Sunday, September 11, 2005

Dead Bodies

Earlier this week FEMA announced that it wasn't going to take journalists along in boats that were searching for victims and bodies. Journalists were ticked off and began protesting the decision. Read about it here

As I read articles about the above, two things struck me. First, the response of the media seemed so false. They said things veiled in good intentions, but I can't see how their actions were anything other than trying to make prime time more graphic to lure eyeballs. Second this quote by Larry Siems from the PEN American Center (freedom of speech/anti-censorship organization) is both idiotic and sad.


It's impossible for me to imagine how you report a story whose subject is death without allowing the public to see images of the subject of the story.


Idiotic because who can't imagine it! It's called words Mr. Siems. Try reading a book like All Quiet on the Western Front. I didn't need pictures and yet it is one of the most moving and heart wrenching stories about war and death that I've read (not like I've read tons). Sad because we're losing the written word. I'm not a hardened English teacher or some pedantic academic (as if you can't tell from my posts ;) but it's sad that our ancestors were people of words and increasingly our intellect and emotions remain dull unless we can SEE something. Sigh... I wish that story hadn't happened.

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