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April 08, 2005

Washington Times, Like Every One Else, Is Looking At the Wrong Pulitzer Prize Photo

The Washington Times does a half-ass job of questioning the Pulitzer Prize in this editorial. The article raises important questions, but like most of the blogosphere and those in conservative circles, they examine a single photo.

But there were 20 photos in the series. As we have been arguing from the beginning, what is troubling is the totality of the story those photos show. The story those photos tell is of an empowered insurgency, demoralized U.S. troops, and American brutality.

Several of the photos are disgusting, such as the one in question which shows the execution of Iraqi election officials and another which shows the residents of Fallujah celebrating the murder of American civilians as their charred bodies hang from a bridge, but it may be the case that these photos were taken by Iraqi photojournalists who were anonymously tipped off or who just happened to be at the right place at the right time.

We have also noted in the past that the photo in question is not nearly as damning as two others which clearly indicate something like 'embedding' with the isurgency is (or was) going on with AP stringers in Iraq.

Here are the two photos. One of insurgents in Fallujah with ties to Abu Musab al Zarqawi's al Qaeda network firing on U.S. Marines and another of al Sadr's Mahdi Army which was then fighting against U.S. troops.

Can there be any other explanation than that the AP stringers had a working relationship with armed anti-American forces?

Complete Bilal Hussein Archives Here

Posted by: Rusty at 04:18 PM | Comments (27) | Add Comment
Post contains 270 words, total size 2 kb.

1 Remember that notorious conversation among TV anchors when they were asked a hypothetical about whether or not they would warn US soldiers that they were walking into an ambush? Canadian Peter Jennings said that of course he would warn them. Citizen of the World Dan Rather corrected Jennings, who meekly submitted to the Dan, saying that their duty was to report the news, not make it, and tough f'ing sh't for the GIs. That's the attitude that rules in modern journalism. Except that most of them probably WOULD warn "insurgents" if they were walking into an American ambush.

Posted by: The Dread Pundit Bluto at April 08, 2005 04:29 PM (RHG+K)

2 Effective media seeks imagery without bias or coercion to self-censor. As embeds with U.S. forces took part in a naked aggression, cheerleading the "awesome synchronized killing machine", I doubt their objectivity.

Posted by: Collin Baber at April 08, 2005 05:55 PM (fufbw)

3 There's medication that can quiet the voices, Colin.

Posted by: The Dread Pundit Bluto at April 08, 2005 06:01 PM (RHG+K)

4 There was once a time when reporters tried to get the facts and report them clearly, tell the public what happened. That was called being a news reporter, you know, the guy with the card in his hat that said PRESS. But then that wasn't fun ... Soooo -- News reporting shifted to 'making a difference in the world' and the rest is what we have today.

Today we have news reporters reporting what they would have liked to have seen, instead what they did see.

Posted by: bill at April 08, 2005 06:42 PM (7evkT)

5 Perhaps it is time to become combat photojournalists and head to Baghdad?

Posted by: Collin Baber at April 08, 2005 07:37 PM (fufbw)

6 Perhaps it is time to become combat photojournalists and head to Baghdad?Also, perhaps it is time to become judges and head to Florida. Perhaps it is time to become President and head to Washington. Perhaps it is time to become Military Police and head to Abu Ghraib. Perhaps it is time to become Colon Babbler and head to lalaland. Perhaps it is time to...stop skipping on that same groove, Colin.

I'll say one thing for you, though.

You got a purty mouth, boy.

Posted by: The Dread Pundit Bluto at April 09, 2005 10:04 AM (RHG+K)

7 "Several of the photos are disgusting"

maybe they should have given the award to some of the videos you put on your site?

Posted by: actus at April 09, 2005 01:09 PM (CqheE)

8 The picture of the Blackwater employees' smashed up and burnt corpses hanging from the bridge in Fallujah was macabre. The question that comes to mind is quite simple: What did America do over there that provoked such intense criminal rage?

Posted by: Collin Baber at April 10, 2005 02:26 AM (fufbw)

9 Collin,

rage?

The children playing with the corpses were laughing. THAT was macabre. It was a game, not "rage".

Posted by: Carlos at April 10, 2005 10:23 AM (8e/V4)

10 and ps., Collin,

next time some black man mentions how black folks were lynched in the bad ol days, are you going to ask him what that black man did to provoke all that "rage"?

Posted by: Carlos at April 10, 2005 10:37 AM (8e/V4)

11 "next time some black man mentions how black folks were lynched in the bad ol days, are you going to ask him what that black man did to provoke all that "rage"?"

Kick redneck ass in the war of northern aggression?

Posted by: actus at April 10, 2005 06:32 PM (EQbuu)

12 Easy answer, Collin, we dared to reverse the oppression of the shiite and kurds by the sunni arab population. An oppression you evidently approved of.

Posted by: Robin Roberts at April 10, 2005 10:26 PM (xauGB)

13 Robin wins.

Posted by: Carlos at April 10, 2005 10:56 PM (8e/V4)

14 Dear Robin,

Please explain your theory.

Posted by: Collin Baber at April 10, 2005 10:58 PM (FV4oJ)

15 Collin,

it isn't a theory that the sunni minority in Iraq was dominant over the Kurds and Shiites thanks to Saddam. When he was toppled, they lost their favored status. It's a fact. Thus the insurgency is centered in the sunni triangle, while Kurd and Shiite sections of the country are peaceful. If they're "enraged", that's the reason.

Posted by: Carlos at April 11, 2005 12:36 AM (8e/V4)

16 Perhaps the previously pro-American town of Fallujah witnessed the killing of 15 people during a street march?

Posted by: Collin Baber at April 11, 2005 01:15 AM (FV4oJ)

17 Great post, Rusty.

Posted by: GaijinBiker at April 11, 2005 09:23 AM (moROy)

18 Its not a theory, Collin. Its a fact. You approve of terrorists. You are their ally. Its becoming increasingly difficult to separate your bizarre posts from the local KKK candidate, greg.

Posted by: Robin Roberts at April 11, 2005 10:41 AM (xauGB)

19 I'm not a KKK candidate. I had to turn down Rooster's gennerous offer. I can't afford the $49.95 membership fee. I'm saving up to be Jewish.

Posted by: greg at April 11, 2005 10:58 AM (/+dAV)

20 Dear Robin,

Any terrorist alliance you perceive me as being part of is merely a projection of your unhealthy self-object fantasy.

Posted by: Collin Baber at April 11, 2005 06:32 PM (FV4oJ)

21 THE DREAD PUNDIT BLUTO: You've go a purty mouth boy! Well said and fits the situation. Watch a lot of Burt Reynolds movies?

Posted by: greyrooster at April 11, 2005 11:52 PM (CBNGy)

22 This black lynching thing in the old days is so pityful. The truth is there are far more whites killed today in America by blacks than ever was by whites lynching blacks. All pure liberal bullshit. Merely, means to a sorry end.

Posted by: greyrooster at April 11, 2005 11:58 PM (CBNGy)

23 Rooster,
The whole KKK thing is so archaic. Iâ€™ll bet you miss the glory days when you folks were taken seriously. What with the lynching and the cross burnings and all. Do tell, are the robes 100% cotton or polyester? My friend says polyester but I say cotton is the way to go in Mississippi. Who''s right?

Posted by: greg at April 12, 2005 09:00 AM (/+dAV)

24 Ah, yes. The good ole days. Cotton is the way to go. Polyester catches fire to easy. Sparks from the cross you know.

The good ole days when we had a few rednecks in sheets terrorizing a few blacks in a few states.
Now we have black muggers, killing, raping and robbing on a daily basis is every major city in America. Instead of sheets they dress in sports regalia and wear their pants below their asses.

We've come so far.

Posted by: greyrooster at April 12, 2005 09:14 AM (CBNGy)

25 Yeah, that pants below their asses thing is in poor taste. The wierd thing is that young white kids try to emulate the gangstas by wearing their pants low and hip-hopping to rap music.

Posted by: greg at April 12, 2005 09:53 AM (/+dAV)

26 Some. Not mine. I know this is racist. However, I firmly believe much of the distaste for American Culture shown by religious muslims is directly tied to language, behavior and dress that came from the black American culture. Mother Fu-- this, Mother Fu-- that. Movies, Sitcoms, Sporting events, So called music. All full of vile language. This culture did not come from my neighborhood. Can you blame a muslim for not wishing his children to emulate such crap? I don't want my children to be influenced by it. Saying they should accept it would be hypocritcal. On this issue the muslims have my ear. This degrading behavior came from a certain group from the getto. Therefore: I am a racist. A racist whose children don't talk or act like they do. Better to call those that protest, racist, than address the problem.

Posted by: greyrooster at April 12, 2005 06:35 PM (CBNGy)

27 i was in new york last month and it has turned into the biggest fucking shit hole (apart from brixton) i have ever seen. nothing but blacks and pakis running about trying to sell drugs and sell stolen goods. these people are a plague on western society and need to be fucking shot.
fucking hell,what a hole.

up the chelsea.

Posted by: chelseaboy27 at July 16, 2005 09:01 AM (kvrEm)

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April 08, 2005

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