{"id":12170,"date":"2012-05-03T12:32:07","date_gmt":"2012-05-03T16:32:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theredphoenixapl.org\/?p=12170"},"modified":"2012-05-03T12:32:07","modified_gmt":"2012-05-03T16:32:07","slug":"pentagon-sought-to-stop-paper-from-using-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redphoenix.news\/es\/2012\/05\/pentagon-sought-to-stop-paper-from-using-photos\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon Sought to Stop Paper From Using Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Leon E. Panetta, the defense secretary, said the images might incite violence.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The grisly photographs of<\/span> American soldiers posing with the body parts<\/span><\/a><\/span> of Afghan insurgents during a 2010 deployment in Afghanistan were the source of a dispute between The Los Angeles Times and the Pentagon lasting weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two of the 18 photographs given to the paper were<\/span> published Wednesday by The Times<\/span><\/a><\/span> over fierce objections by military officials who said that the photographs could incite violence. The officials had asked The Times not to publish any of the photographs, a fact that the defense secretary, Leon E. Panetta, reiterated on Wednesday as the images spread across the Internet.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason for that is those kinds of photos are used by the enemy to incite violence, and lives have been lost as the result of the publication of similar photos,\u201d Mr. Panetta said at a news conference.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the newspaper\u2019s editors said that the photographs were newsworthy. \u201cWe considered this very carefully,\u201d the newspaper\u2019s editor, Davan Maharaj, said in a Web chat with readers. \u201cAt the end of the day, our job is to publish information that our readers need to make informed decisions. We have a particular duty to report vigorously and impartially on all aspects of the American mission in Afghanistan. On balance, in this case, we felt that the public interest here was served by publishing a limited, but representative sample of these photos, along with a story explaining the circumstances under which they were taken.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The article was by David Zucchino, a longtime war correspondent for the paper, who got an unsolicited e-mail two months ago from a soldier in the 82nd Airborne Division. The soldier said that he had \u201csome information\u201d that might interest Mr. Zucchino. The information included the photographs. Mr. Zucchino later met three times with the soldier, to whom The Times granted anonymity. \u201cHe said he was very, very concerned about what he said was a breakdown in security, discipline and professionalism,\u201d Mr. Zucchino said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Zucchino contacted military officials weeks ago and showed them some of the images. Within the newsroom, he said, there was \u201ca vigorous debate about whether to publish; and if we publish, what to publish; and what to say in the story.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Amid that internal debate, military officials, including the commander in Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. John R. Allen, registered their concerns with editors.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur concern is not about embarrassment,\u201d George E. Little, a Pentagon press secretary, said in a telephone interview after Mr. Panetta\u2019s news conference. \u201cWe recognize that this is inexcusable behavior depicted in the photos. This is all about force protection in Afghanistan.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Once the paper decided it would publish the images, the military officials asked, and the editors agreed, to wait for extra security precautions to be put in place in Afghanistan. The newspaper waited more than 72 hours.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe did have to bump up our security posture in the country,\u201d Mr. Little said. \u201cIf the story had run without the photos, I\u2019m not sure that we would have had to undertake those additional security measures.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Maharaj said the newspaper had no plans to publish the other 16 images. Mr. Zucchino supported that decision. \u201cThey are just awful,\u201d he said, calling the two that were published \u201cthe least gruesome.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fuente<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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