A few days ago the LA Times created a stir by publishing photos of U.S. soldiers posing with Afghan corpses. The two photos, published in the paper and online versions of the news publication, were taken in 2010 by a soldier in the 82nd Airborne Division and given to a Times reporter. According to the Poynter website, military officials asked the Times to not publish the photos, but the newspaper went ahead and offered this rational in defense:
After careful consideration, we decided that publishing a small but representative selection of the photos would fulfill our obligation to readers to report vigorously and impartially on all aspects of the American mission in Afghanistan, including the allegation that the images reflect a breakdown in unit discipline that was endangering U.S. troops.
This incident touches on several issues related to the textbook chapters currently being discussed in class. There are concerns over the legality of images that compromise personal privacy. There are also ethical issues related to images of a graphic nature. And there are concerns over journalistic ethics when national security is at stake. Another factor at play is the embarrassment of military and government leaders who would like to have miss-deeds go unnoticed. While military and government leaders have called the behavior captured in the photos “reprehensible” and “morally repugnant,” journalists have an obligation to shine a light on misbehavior whenever and wherever they find it. The question here is how to do so without compromising other important and cherished values. As the LA Times website noted, “the taboo against desecration of the dead is strong in this religiously conservative country.”
There are, unfortunately, plenty of other examples in recent history of visual imagery that posed ethical dilemmas. The Abu Ghraib photos in 2004 of U.S. military personnel posing with inmates in compromising positions comes quickly to mind. Graphic photos of slain Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi were carried by some news outlets while others decided to opt for photos of rebels celebrating his death. The White House refused to release photos of a dead Osama bin Laden thus relieving journalists of the pressure of having to make that decision. And just a few months ago a video surfaced of U.S. troops urinating on dead Taliban fighters.
Images are powerful. Perhaps cameras should come with a warning label: CAUTION, do not use without first considering consequences.
I believe this is almost insensitive although I have never been a part of war I feel as though certain things that happen on the battlefield are meant to be images that stay specifically their. Yet as any publication of war, they are their to capture the good the bad and the ugly I feel as though like Caiden said if the shoe was on the other foot Americans would be apalled but in this case its njust another insurgent killed on a statistic I feel that in totality is not documented for political dignity.
It makes sense to me that the paper decided to publish those pictures. It’s what newspapers do. And because they published the pictures people took notice of what little things were happening that were probably being swept under the rug. If it was the other way around and afghan soldiers had pictures like this everyone in America would be appaled. Either way it just shows that there are people out there who don’t think about the consequences or karma and how it will all catch up to you eventually. Might have set the soldiers straight for all we know.
I am not a reader of the Times and normally a story like this would not catch my interest, but I feel if I saw such a picture leading into a story, I’d take a deeper read into it. I’m not saying that it is right to publish such an image, but I am saying that it worked for what the Times more than likely intended; to draw in readers. It’s an attention grabber for the paper, nothing more than the paper wanting to start controversy and getting their name boosted everywhere. That’s why they had such a disregard for the military asking to not have it published. They claim it is to show what is really going on over there but is that true? With what little information there is on this post alone, this idea cannot be proven true. They may have in fact published it purely to inform the public, which would be morally correct. However it also cannot be proven that there was not some corruption in the paper industry that saw how such a controversial topic would boost the reads of their paper.
As for the pictures themselves, I personally hope that this behavior was punished and greatly ‘discouraged’ from happening in the future. It wasn’t right for these images to be taken in the first place, simply for the word ‘posed’. It was a show put on and shouldn’t be used to represent anything that would be happening in the war time. Candid photos of soldiers doing their jobs should be published instead of the immature few taking advantage of their positions.
This article reminded me of the most recent one with the little boy washed up on the shore. Journalism seems to walk a fine line regarding privacy and how explicit something can be. After having the guest speakers come into class, I understand that the role of journalism isn’t to take sides or give opinions, rather, they want to share the truth & report the news.Situations like this need to be more sensitive and cautious towards readers and viewers reactions. But like Cameron said above, the fact that the pictures were taken, I guess doesn’t shame journalism (or the newspaper) for posting it.
This really shocked me how they asked the times not to release the photos and they did anyway. This was big decision to be made and they still went ahead and displayed these pictures. Our soldiers still took the picture with the dead corpse. This showed to me that they wouldn’t have cared if they were shown publicly.
This is a very controversial situation that I have a very large opinion on. On page 107, Turow shows the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics; the preamble clearly says “public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of the events and issues.” Any journalist will tell you that it is their right to “seek truth and report it! The LA Times made a journalistic decision that they should proudly stand behind because as US citizens we have the right to know exactly what is going on within the government. The LA Times was accountable for the decision that they made; the only way that situations like the one stated in the post can be avoided in the future is if people know that it is happening and that it isn’t appreciated.
Some of the concerns with publishing the photos of Afghan corpses are valid. The issue of privacy is very prominent in this situation. If the situation was switched, and American corpses were posed in pictures taken by Afghan soldiers, there would be uproar and the pictures would be destroyed because of the demands for the privacy of the soldier’s families. Some feel that the photos are too graphic in nature to be shown to the public, and that ethical issues should be taken into account. The display of the corpses is a way of publicly mocking death and violence. Despite these issues, I feel that the decision of the LA Times is correct. It is the responsibility of the journalist to report the truth, no matter if this exposes discipline issues or embarrassment of the U.S. Military. If the LA Times did not publish the photos, it could be considered like basically lying. This situation is comparable to Xavier Alvarez lying at a public meeting by saying that he was a Marine who received the Congressional Medal of Honor. The U.S. Military, by stopping their deeds from entering into public domain, is manipulating the truth, just like Xavier Alvarez. Both Xavier Alvarez and the U.S. Military are trying to portray themselves as more honorable than they actually are. By exposing their deeds, whether it is by publishing the photos of corpses or by pleading to the Stolen Valor Act and having the case go to the Supreme Court; the truth is being presented to the public, who deserve to know the truth.
This article brings a powerful message to the world about the moral and ethical decisions that compromise one’s personal reputation in the fascinating world that we call journalism. Who was really at fault? Was it the U.S. soldiers that took and gave up the pictures or was it really the fault of the LA Times for publishing such indecent photographs. People often need to consider that sometimes journalists are not in this field for the decency of others but perhaps to boost ratings for the publication they work for and often many times for “praise” that others will acknowledge and recognize the journalist for discovering something so startling. This is a huge issue in the world of journalism today. What are one’s moral and ethical standards? Doesn’t seem like there is a whole lot of journalists on that stance these days. Reporting or publishing something is disturbing for the pure “entertainment” of the public is purely disturbing. Journalists and soldiers alike should keep in mind the that their reputation and integrity are at stake when pursuing a tempting publication piece just to boost ratings for newspaper readers.
I find that the LA Times magazine’s statement on how the LA Times are fulfilling their obligation to readers by reporting vigorously and impartially” is extremely jaded. If in fact they truly understood the military, its mission, and the war on terrorism, the LA Times could easily see how they have now placed thousands, if not millions of American lives at risk. The LA Times obviously has a misguided understanding of how the culture and repercussion system in Afghanistan works. The effects of publishing this article can be devastating. It ruins the moral of Soldiers fighting, disrupts missions, and most importantly it creates more acts of violence against America, national security and its Soldiers.
Unfortunately, it will be the American Soldiers in Afghanistan that will have to pay the price because of piss-poor decision-making skills on behalf of the LA Times in their releasing the article. The LA Times article and the reasons for its publishing are elementary, complacent, and completely lack objectivity. This article is a true reflection of car salesman journalism, where a journalist will report anything to send in a story in order to make his or her deadline. It’s a shame that with all the other stories in Afghanistan this is the story they publish. Why?
Was the LA Times not selling enough papers and advertising that it needed that extra boost in its ratings? Is that enough to put more lives at risk? Is it not true that American Soldiers have enough to go through? Most would agree that if you don’t like death or killing then stay at home and report on great gardening tips.
I absolutely do not approve of Abu Ghraib style photos to include the one posted in the article. I agree, The Soldiers who took the photos should be disciplined and the Soldier who thought he was doing a good thing should be also disciplined for not following media protocol and failing to use his chain of command.
However, I do understand. I understand why Soldiers may be excited to gladly take photos like that. Similarly, a NFL Football team takes a picture with the super bowl trophy. Blood, sweat, tears and if your lucky victory. The only difference is the context in which the game is played. If a journalist doesn’t understand that, then I feel he or she can easily take the red-eye out of the country. The last thing this war needs is another Geraldo Rivera who puts lives needlessly at risk for an article that is far from a Pulitzer and wont put an “S” on the chest.
According to Davan Maharaj, “it’s the LA Times particular duty to report vigorously and impartially on all aspects of the American mission in Afghanistan”. Instead of working harder to find a real story, LA Times journalists will continue to complacently publish what they wish, regardless of its devastating impact. Many would agree that the intent in publishing the article and the accompanying photography was NOT impartial at all. When was the last time they got a story from the Taliban? Terrorists? Didn’t think so.
Unfortunately, many people do not think about what might happen to the inappropriate pictures that they may take, share, or post up themselves! You would think that the troops would have learned their lesson after another incident from this past summer where photos leaked of them actually showed footage of American soldiers urinating on dead Afghan bodies. This to me is extremely inconsiderate to their fellow troops who have not made these mistakes. Though the men who did this may not be bad people, the media has brought the world to thinking that they are. These situations become very complicated since it our country does not want to give our country a bad name, yet we the people should not have information hidden from us because we do deserve to know what is going on in our country, including morality issues. Though, if information is leaked out to us, then it is probably leaked out to other countries who would then also criticize our country, hence the complexity of what information should go out or not. For the people who do let this kind of information heavily change their opinions about our troops or country need to take the time to analyze everything about it themselves, not only listen to the news report, before having a change in thoughts. Overall, this is disappointing to here about since I do know many good soldiers who are careful about their actions.
This story shows the journalists at the L.A. Times fulfilling the role of government watchdog. As good it is that they show the public the misdeeds committed by a few disgusting individuals within the military it is also harmful to our society. I can understand that war is a horrible thing that can push a person to his limits and beyond but these pictures are the acts of several sick individuals and shouldn’t represent the American military or even American society as a whole. While I admire the journalists’ dedication to exposing the truth, I think it was a poor decision to show these pictures against the will of the military as it does represent our country’s war in a very negative light and could really hinder the war effort overseas. Stories like these discredit all the good the military has done in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and only represent a few isolated incidences of insubordination.
As it was talked in class, news media are kept at different standards of freedom of the press in order to keep us informed and to be the unofficial watcher of our government. Not only was it MORALLY WRONG for the soldiers to take pictures with corpses, whether to ridicule or for some sick self-justification(I cannot understand) but this was also not the first occurrence. The military should be held at a higher standard of respect. Not only are the soldiers and news reporters dehumanizing the victims in the photos but they are also putting others at risk in doing so. Imagine your dead body on a newspaper, with an alternative countries soldier degrading your body. This is sickening on both levels, but then again that is just my opinion and like belly buttons or let me say… life, we all have one (at one point).
Just like the last line said, photos can be very powerful and I agree with that statement just because of what we learn in Media and Society everyday. I personally think you can still tell a story in a way better way without publishing very uncomfortable pictures. A good writter can tell a story using descriptive words that allows the reader to see the picture in their head besides displaying something so uncomfortable for lots of people.
I am very familiar with this story as we covered it thoroughly during one of my ENG 102 classes. It does not surprise me that the LA Times posted this because it would help them make money and make their readers and everyone familiar with the newspaper, aware of the events that took place in 2010. I personally do not think the pictures are that big of a deal. It does not look like any of the US soldiers are holding the dead body and if this is what it takes for them to enjoy their time over seas, then I do not have too big of a problem with it. In my mind, it was a spur of the moment type thing and they did not think much would come from it. Also, the person was a suicide bomber so why should he be showed respect?
I didn’t really know what to think about these pictures when I seen these pictures. You never want to see the people that are protecting you doing horrible things. The LA Times has created an open-ended statement with anti-war supporters. This is horrible because this is just a small representation of the amazing people who are protecting us. But personally I do think that it was ok for them to show the pictures with their article even though it did reflect the military in a bad way, it still showed us citizens what some horrible people are doing over there. I think that they might have crossed the line a little bit but I believe that this was ok for them to do. I personally the US citizens need to see this.
I am sort of torn both ways. I feel as if the NY Times should not have posted those pictures up for everyone to see, but then again that is what the news is for. People should be informed about what is going on in Afghanistan. This isn’t the first time pictures like these have come up and i think it is morally wrong to do that. Even if we are in a war, it’s not funny or cool to pose with dead bodies. That is not what the military is over there for and everyone should know what is really going on. On the other hand, it does reflect poorly on our military and government that they would let things like this happen. The better way to handle the pictures would be to punish those in it and handle it within the military; not publish the pictures nation wide. Reporters publish more news that they know will get more attention from people and stir up emotions or get a rise out of someone.
While scrolling down to leave my comment I noticed that most if not everyone above me, including myself, was unaware of these pictures before the LA Times published them. I’m appalled that some of our troops country would have the audacity to take pictures such as these, it makes me wonder what the other 16 pictures look like. Relating this news article back to class does have some clashing involved. One, the LA Times was bold for publishing this article because of the sake of national security; you don’t want these photos being seen by the wrong people that would compromise everyone’s safety. I, however, support the fact that this article was published. As citizen of the United States we have a right to know when discipline is lacking in our country especially when it involves the people that are suppose to be protecting and defending us! Whatever backlash this platoon receives is probably well deserved; if your going to sit here and take crude pictures with these corpses than you better be able to handle whatever backlash comes about when those pictures go public. The LA Times was doing right by the people when they published those photos and right by exposing the wrong doings of the people that serve and protect our country. News media is a watch dog system and they were doing just that by making the decision they did to send those photos public.
I did not know about these pictures until I saw and read this. I would have to agree with Marki, and believe that the media has crossed a line some here. I know the media would deal with this probably the same with a non military person, but I believe that there might have to be a little more respect to soldiers that are serving our country. I can’t believe that they still posted them after the soldiers asked them not to. But then again, maybe its the soldiers fault for giving the reporter the pictures in the first place. Either way, there should be a little more respect towards our soldiers.
These photos should have never surfaced, much less been taken in the first place. I understand we are at war and killing and death is a part of it, but boasting and parading arround showing no remorse for the situation we are in is disgraceful. I repspect our militarty and am thakful for everything they do for this country, but I also hold them to a higher standard than the average person. They represent this country on a national level and should be held to a higher standard by everyone, this is not okay and it needs to be known. As a part of journalism and showing these photos I think that it should not have been put out for the public, because I feel that this will start a whole other argument that during the time of war we should not have to be thinking about.
These pictures should have never been taken in the first place and it is sickening to think that our own people would do something of that nature but regardless I don’t feel like they should have surfaced back here in the states. We do need to be informed of what is going on over there because it affects everyone but when it comes to making our troops look bad when in all reality they still are fighting for our freedom I think there should be a line drawn. It makes our troops look ridiculous and honestly I feel it makes our entire nation look terrible when we are over there fighting because of their terrible and ruthless actions towards us. This leaves our troops and army vulnerable now to attacks from our own people.
“All is fair in love and war” has been a well known quote for years and years. Does this quote apply to war photos as well? I think the media has crossed a line when it comes the “Disturbing Photos Create a Moral Dilemma” article. I believe that there are many people who do not sign up for the military for a specific reason, that reason is they are not mentally tough enough. I know I would not be able to handle the mental toughness required to enter war. Therefore why should people be exposed to what they purposely stay away from. I do understand that gore and war sell but, I don’t believe media should use and abuse the power they have. In the case discussed in the article I believe that the media should have respected the wants of the soldier who was in the pictures. I think if the media honestly feels responsible for telling the honest truth and showing America what is truly going on then maybe they can create a website for posts and pictures that are based on a rating scale. This way the people who really want to see the photos like the one in the article have the opportunity. This also allows media to uphold their obligation to post the truth.
Pictures are very powerful and like the old saying that a picture says a thousand words and that is true. The pictures they are refering to are very horrid and even though people think they should be published just for the sake of showing how gruesome it gets, that isnt the worst problem. We have to think about who we are showing this to if they did publish it such as the dead osama body. Yes most people would celebrate it but it wouldnt be right to take pictures of dead bodies no matter who it is and what they’ve done in their life. Death is a very disturbing thing when it comes to war and seeing the dead bodies is very hard to bare especially when your a soldier and probably just took that persons life. It would just be another thing to haunt us in the end.
When you see articles and stuff like this your mind can go a million different ways on how to approach this. You can go about it saying that this is completely and utterly wrong, that they are suppose to be representing the United States of America and leaving the people over there with nothing but good things to say about us. A person can be angered believe that the leadership over there is lacking in many areas and we need to take further methods so not only those solider’s are punished but the men and women who watch over them that should be constantly reminding the soldiers they way they need to behave when they go out in public. Or you could look at it from the troops point of view the fact that their lives are constantly being threatened they don’t know if they will make it home to see their families or even make it to the next day. They constantly have to live on the edge, how would you react in a situation such as this. Would you be able to live with a clear mind make all the right decisions all the time, that can not be an easy task. It’s scary, i feel like this is something no one person should ever have to experience.
I understand a journalists obligation to shed light on certain stories that the public should know about. It is a fine line for them when pictures are a part of it. I think you can still tell the story in a responsible way without publishing uncomfortable pictures also. A good writter can tell the story and use descriptive words that allows the reader to form a picture in their head. I think a good journalist can get the point across when faced with similar situations.
Having something published like this is quite sad. Although we have the freedom of press, the press should take into consideration what would be acceptable. Humiliating our armed forces in such a way is very disrespectful and this is an issue that should be taken care of. For the Times to go against the military officials in this way is highly disrespectful and shameful to their patriotism. Not only does it look bad for the LA Times, but also on our country as a whole.
With the right of free press, I’d say nothing bad happened. But on the contrary, all of it was bad. No one needs to see these photos. Not even the people who took them. Take all the photos you like but have the decency to think about what others would think if you show them off. This not only disgraced the military as a whole, but also gave the Americans who seen the pictures diminished thoughts as to what is actually going on over seas. Granted, military personnel should be more mature as to what they are doing and know the difference between right and wrong. Like all media, this will eventually blow over, but I definitely believe the military and the media will figure out that what happened was wrong and will learn from it.
Journalists thrive off of new and shocking stories. Unfortunately the stories that are usually the most impacting tend to be very negative. I think the decision made by the New York Times to not only report on this story but also to show the graphic and morally corrupt images shows both a propaganda bias as well as an unwitting bias on their part. Reporting on this story gives the military a very bad face and discredits the good they have done. Because we are in the middle of an election, this can be seen as propaganda against the military and the war efforts. Their unwitting bias also comes into play because they have chosen to report on this story alone. If they had also reported on positive aspects of the war and military at some point in time, their reporting of this awful incident would cancel out. Their defensive statement would then be legitimate. However, just showing the worst possible side of a subject, even if it is true, it is still not the whole truth of the bigger picture at hand, which is their true intention in reporting on such a case.
I personally think that showing these photos are good and should be allowed. I think the public should see what is going on overseas. I do not think that faces in these pictures should be shown though, because the public does not need to know who they are, just what they did and what happened. I disagree showing the pictures are of soldiers urinating or doing any other gruesome acts towards Afghan corpses. Those kinds of pictures are a disgrace to our country. Overall, pictures of soldiers and Afghan corpses should be allowed, unless the soldiers are doing erroneous acts towards them.
I think that it is a good thing that the Times decided to post these pictures even though the military asked them not to. It’s important for the general public to see what’s going on over there even if it is our “Heroes” over there that are not conducting themselves well. Even though we are at war with terrorists American soldiers should have enough pride in their country by not defiling that uniform and making themselves and Americans alike look like idiots and inhumane people. If we take pictures of their dead bodies and let them go loose onto the public sites for anybody to see including those men families are we any better than those we are fighting? Although I do support our troops and everything that this war stands for these kind of photos are unacceptable and the dead bodies they are posing with were once also human beings that are fighting for what they believe in.
It does not surprise me that the Times posted the pictures for the public to view. The military fights for the US under harsh circumstances, but does not give anyone the right to be proud of pictures such as those released. The whole purpose of a camera is to take pictures of things you want to remember. Do we want our soldiers to feel proud of the fact that they took pictures of people they have killed for the greater good of our country; don’t think so? Soldiers are sent over to work at helping the citizens and to resolve the issues at hand, the purpose of work is to take things seriously, and I believe that pictures like that are not serious and more or less put our country down. The journalist had the right to post the pictures because their job is to report the truth and obvious it was completely true.
This article shows how the news will use anything to their advantage even when it is people’s personal photos. These photos look bad on the military. I believe they put these pictures in the magazine to get arrive out of people but I think they should have considered the soldiers approval. I didn’t know this happened but I do personal disagree with the times putting this out. I had two brothers in the military so I know that not all military people are that disrespectful but they also have to find ways to deal with the dead and destruction. But maybe the new should have shown the soldiers side of view on why they took the pictures and how they feel about them now. Who know maybe that would help show what goes through a soldiers mind in a time of war.
First I would like to get my opinion out of the way on this subject matter; I am truly appalled that such actions are going on that is not why they are there and that is immature and immoral. Journalists have all the rights in the world to write about whatever they want as long as it is true. On the other hand posting such graphic pictures is or should not be do whatever you want. Just as companies at the moment have the right to not say something people have the right to not have to look at something. Journalists have very much the right to shine light in dark places and that might reveal some awful things. But as a society we need to be aware of these things and fix it. As for the many disturbing photos that go around there needs to be a warning or not show because they are disturbing. The photo may be important as proof but if the photo is disturbing it should not be published where someone could gaze upon it without any warning. For papers they could simply post a link to a website, on the website there should be a warning of the disturbing content of these photos.
This is not at all surprising to me that this has happened. It is slightly disrespectful that the LA Times published the photos, even though the military asked that they not be used. However, with that being said if the military does not want to be represented in a negative way, they should not act in that negative way. Journalism brings out the raw reality of things and I dont think it should be looked down upon for that. When it comes down to it, the soldiers should not have been taking pictures with the Afghan corpses. Yes, we should look up to and respect our troops, but they should also think before they make a decision that will expose something negative. It don’t think that it is too much, because it is simply the reality of what is going on. Those individuals are not good representations of America, but not everyone is. Again, that’s reality.
This recent media outbreak is both very disappointing, and informing. There is not a time that you ever want to see the bad things that anyone is doing. By showing a different view of the military the LA Times has presented a open-ended statement with anti-war supporters. This is just the thing that is needed to create another argument for why we should not be at war now. What is sad is that this is just a small representation of the people fighting for this country. I would agree that this is too much, reporting a story is one thing, but releasing something that will have such a negative impact on the military is another. It should not have been done. In my opinion the press will almost always feel the need to present the negatives, to show the horror, pain, and suffering, but in most cases it is not for the benefit for us, it is benefiting the other side. Journalism is something that is needed, but in some cases the line gets crossed, and I think this is one of those cases.
I am saddend by this recent event. It baffles me that the media doesn’t care for the reputation of the military, government, or their own country when reporting this kind of stuff. I am especially embarrassed for the soldier who sold out his own, buy selling those pictures to the times. To me its people like that who are not the type of people that should represent America in our military. Chances are he was probably in some of those pictures to but those didnt find there way to the media. As far as the other events in history regarding this nature, I feel concerned for our future. Clearly these events spawn from people with no respect for their position, no responsbility, and no common class. I know that there will always be those people who dont know how to act, but hopefully they wont be selected to represent our country as a public image. I wish the media would stay out of this type of journalism but the dissapointing truth is they never will. Journalism will always hold the bad reputation of the media that has no feelings toward the sake of anybody else but them. They want to break the story, they want to ruin names, and they want people to hear them whether good or bad. I just hope there is a light in the future where people can take a look at themselves and develop higher moral standards for these types of issues.
I did not hear about this event that happened, but I am grateful to learn about it now. It shocked me to know that the soldier asked the Times not to post the pictures, and yet the newspaper still did so. After reading their defense, I can understand and somewhat value their dedication to reporting the truth to the people. As I continued to read, it dawned on me that releasing these kinds of images during a time when we are at war which has put some strain on our country as a whole, is not particularly the most patriotic thing to do, and almost looks like propaganda against the US military. There is a line of respect that I believe should be maintained by the American media. The Times is a powerhouse when it comes to newspaper media outlets, and for them to act in such a way demonstrates that bias is still present in the media we engage in every day. It’s crucial to remember all the positive, self-less acts that the US military is doing daily, and that we should be thankful for them, not bash them in a major newspaper. I think in the case of the video which showed US troops doing unexplainable things, we as a human beings have to remember the circumstances which these people are being put under and that even though I’m not saying I think it’s acceptable, I definitely don’t think its anything the entire country should be viewing and making a judgement about. It almost crosses the line of what is too indecent, or in this case graphic, to be presented to the public on such a huge media platform.