POWs and the media

As POWs have been taken by both the coalition and Iraqi forces, media outlets have been broadcasting images and video of the captives. How do you feel about this? Should their privacy be protected? Should the media have no limit placed on what they can show? Should Iraqi POWs be treated differently from coalition POWs in this regard?

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I think that it is totally wrong! I can't imagine what the families are going through! The media should give more respect to these soldiers that put their lives on line for their Country. The sacrifices they make to ensure we are all protected and free are unbelievable to all of us. And the media is eating it up! The importance of giving the up to date story is too minimal in the grand scheme of things. The least we can do is ensure them and their families that will have time to grieve their situation in private and without media coverage. Freedom of speech -yes we have it and it is important but what happen to values have we lost them somewhere in time? Common decency as human beings- Where did it go?

Stacy- Deployed soldiers wife, Arizona City, AZ

I think that it is awful that these photographs have become public. The families, while it may comfort them in knowing the fate of thier loved ones, do not need to be shown graphic images. I would not want to see photos of my slain brother plastered all over the news. Just because these videos and images were shown elsewhere does not mean that the U.S. should be so inconsiderate as to plaster the faces of these men and women everywhere. It is shocking enough for the rest of us, but have respect for the families and have the decency to wait until these families are contacted about the status of their loved-ones. On a side-note, I would like to clarify that supporting the troops has NOTHING to do with supporting the war. I'm so sick of hearing people telling me that I should not protest because we need to support the troops. I feel strongly that by protesting I AM supporting the troops. I don't think you could find a single protestor out there who does not care about our brothers and sisters abroad. They are in our prayers just as much, if not more, than they are in yours. They are just as much victims of this illegal and immoral war as the innocent people (50% of which are children) in Iraq. SHAME on you folks who can't see the difference anymore. Support our troops, bring them home!!!!!!!!!!!!

JB, Boston

Discretions should be used to protect our children from the Spontaneous Media Updates that are shown and limit the graphics shown during prime timeto limit the amount of undue trauma and stress they will surely get from this. Watching your children,parent,aunt, uncle, cousin, friend, husband, wife, sister, brother,or neighbor die over and over again in the media. That is torture that is allowed by the 1st admendment. So Yes discrection should be used. As for how we treat POW's Vs how OURS are treated? I think we should pull out our troops and level Baghdad. It will be horrific but what happened on Sept 11th is completely unexceptable. And any Regime that would condone that type of action needs to be eliminated. I'm sorry! But if you want to act as Saddam and his Elite do then they have to accept the consequences of thier actions. Peace...let me punch you in the face a few times and see if you can just sit there without responding. (I think our military could benefit from some menopausal mothers going over there and taking charge of getting rid of the men that threaten thier children....)

A Mom, Everett

Hey Trevor, lighten up. When Clinton sent troops into Kosovo it was because there was a genocide going on and we had assistance from the UN. That didn't stop the GOP from criticizing the President though. Hypocrites. Also, nice of W to award all those rebuilding Iraq contracts to Halliburton wasn't it? I guess Cheney is still alive after all.

TC, Boston

Have we no compassion for the relatives of these soldiers? Have we no respect for the soldiers themselves? Can we not get our need for gore fulfilled through the reality shows already on at primetime.

Irene, Coal Creek Canyon

Mary in Montreal...thanks for your insight. The US is governed by laws, and one of those laws protects the media. We live in a country, as do you, that allows the media to print and show whatever it wants. Iraq is not like our countries, in many ways. We are outraged, as Americans, because the iraqi 'news' organizations showing the POW's are owned by the Hussein family. Ted Turner doesn't run our country, Saddaam runs his. There is the difference. The US is not showing anything on tv, because last I checked, there was not US government television station. Sure US media outlets are, but they have to connection to the government...are you starting to see the difference? The Geneva Convention and International Law governs the world's governments, not public and private news organizations. CNN can show what they want. They are governed by their Senior Executives. Sadaam's Iraqi TV is governed by the Geneva Convention, and he is, again, violating international law. One more thing. I'm sure you weren't one of the fans at a recent Montreal Canadians games that booed the US National Anthem, but it really disgraced your city and country. After all, where would Canada be without it's big brother to the south?

Jeff, Brighton

This is war. Geneva convention or no, displaying images of enemy POW is a *mild* tactic compared to bombs, artillery, mines etc, and rebroadcasting images of US/Brit citizens in custody shows poor judgement on the part of a free press. Public interest would be better served by more coverage of efforts to justify the allegations that have us at war in the first place.

nick, burlington

I have put a lot of thought into this. To be honest -- I am opposed to war. My fear is that this is the beginning of something worse. May I be wrong! I am very concerned about all the information that has been given to us by the media and by the Government. I feel like we are giving away all of our secrets and plans. More people could get hurt because of this. Maybe this is a plot by our government and a simple person like myself just does not understand. Today's events are an example. Why would a general give out in the information about the sand storm and that our guys are not protected? I don't agree with the war and to be honest I am not a great Bush supporter. Howver, I need to trust my government officals. We elected them and we pay them -- we need to believe they know what they are doing -- they are in the trenches with this every day. I say that because I don't believe that the media needs to report and/or search for so much information. Not to mention that the armed forces have enough to do without having to protect the media people.

Jim, Randolph

It is pretty lousy to see our men and women plastered across the TV. But it does provide proof of their condition should some thing happen to them later. It saddens me to hear these peace freaks saying if we wern't there now they wouldn't be captive. I would hope these peace freaks will board a plane for Iraq become a human shield and before doing so let us paint a big yellow bulls eye on their chests.

K. Mitchell, Waltham

I am outraged that the images of dead US prisoners, shown on Iraqi television over the past weekend, are not actively being aired on US TV. I think that citizens of the United States need to understand, by seeing it, the true evilness of the current regime in Iraq. If US citizens actually saw the evidence that the Iraqis are MURDERING captured soldiers, they would all be outraged. And we would all be behind anything our military needs to do to oust Saddam from power (or even better, from the world). Unfortunately, we get the leftist-press perspective of everything for this war. That saddens me.

Mark, Fair Oaks