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Why Graphic War Images Matter

Back in 2005, James Rainey reviewed coverage of casualties in six prominent U.S. papers over a six-month period and found virtually no pictures from Iraq of Americans killed in action. And not much has changed since then, though the American death toll in Iraq and Afghanistan is more than 5,000. A substantial minority of Americans continue to argue that the media and the public have no business witnessing a soldier's dying moments.

It's uncomfortable to argue with a parent at the time of their greatest anguish. And most big media outlets try to be sensitive to their pain, holding back the grisliest, most disturbing images. But there is a counter argument: Soldiers were sent into danger to represent their country, to represent all of us. They died in our name. It's hard to imagine a story more freighted with public interest.

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