The ghost of Abu Ghraib

Last class' presentation on Abu Ghraib was very disturbing and yet extremely interesting because it involves an ethical dilemma: Should stories of that nature be covered and shown in detail on American news channels?

There is the possibility of endangering the lives of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan by doing so. Besides, many of the pictures from Abu Ghraib are disturbing and might be shocking to American audiences.

On the other side of the coin, people would argue that Americans have a right to know about what is going on over seas. They have a right to know how the soldiers are conducting themselves in countries the U.S.A. is at war with.
Reporters stand for the truth, and by not reporting on such stories, they are straying away from the truth.

My personal opinion is that stories such as these should be shown in length because people in America need to wake up and smell the coffee. It is shocking how many people are completely ignorant about what is happening outside of their backyards, and a lot of that has to do with the way the news is covered, or rather not covered. I understand that television news cannot show full length documentaries, they just don't have the time for it, but it is imperative to show as much detail as is possible in the time that they do have.

The reasoning behind not showing these stories, to protect the troops, is the most absurd reasoning ever, because the terrorists are not angry because of what they see on American news. They already know what is happening in their countries. They are aware of Abu Ghraib. They don't need American television to enlighten them. It's the Americans who need to know what is happening. They remain blissfully unaware of these crimes in foreign countries because they are protected by those who report the news.

Not reporting in this case does not help anyone. The enemy knows what is happening, the American people don't. I think by showing such news stories, there will be more accountability for those who cannot be monitored at all times. The troops need to know that people in America will know what they are up to and that this will make them behave in a better manner. the Muslim world is angry enough, their reasons are their own, and they do not need any more reasons. Those reasons are not what is shown on the news. Is it what the soldiers are up to. So that needs to stop, not the reporting of the crimes. Secrecy will only make things worse.