New DOD Photo Rules “Punishment for War Photographers”
According to Politico.com, U.S. military commanders in Afghanistan are retreating somewhat from an effort to ban embedded journalists from publishing photos or video of American soldiers killed in action there, according to ground rules issued Thursday.
But the new limitations on embeds – put in place after a flap between the Pentagon and the Associated Press over a photo of a wounded soldier – have elicited deep concerns from military journalists and press advocates.
“It’s punishment for war photographers. They’re saying if you want access, you have to play by our rules. And our rules are this — the public will NOT see dead U.S. soldiers,” the executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Lucy Dalglish, said in an email. “For thorough reporting on Afghanistan, I guess we’re just going to have to rely on unembedded reporters running around on their own — posing a danger to themselves as well as the troops they’re trying to cover. It’s a trade-off. It’s very unfortunate.”
Ground rules issued Sept. 15 by the U.S. military’s regional command for Eastern Afghanistan imposed a strict ban on any imagery of American personnel killed in the fight.
“Media will not be allowed to photograph or record video of U.S. personnel killed in action,” the earlier rules said.
However, after inquiries and protests from news organizations and journalism groups, the command based at Bagram Air Base near Kabul modified the policy on Thursday.
“Media will not be prohibited from viewing or filming casualties; however, casualty photographs showing recognizable face, nametag or other identifying feature or item will not be published,” the new rules declare.
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