Ispent much of the morning of May 2 going through Associated Press stories and photographs on the death of Osama bin Laden.
The night before, a group of Navy SEALS raided the terrorist leader’s hideout in Pakistan and killed him. The following morning, there seemed to be an unending stream of stories and photographs related to the al-Qaida leader’s death. That’s always the case when a major news event occurs.
One of the photographs I came across was allegedly a photo of bin Laden’s corpse. The photo’s caption started with the warning “EDITOR’S NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT.”
The photo showed a grimacing, bearded man with a bloody face who appeared to be quite dead. The man in the photo had a hole above his left eye. According to all accounts, the commando’s bullet that killed bin Laden hit him above his left eye.
I didn’t use that photo in the Commonwealth. The first reason was that the Commonwealth usually doesn’t run photos of corpses. That’s been the policy at many newspapers I’ve worked for, including the Jackson Clarion-Ledger.
The second reason was that the Associated Press listed the source of the photo as Express TV, a television station in Pakistan. If the photo had been from a source that was more reputable — and one that I had heard of before — I would have strongly considered publishing the photo.
As it turns out, the photo was a fake. So are all of the other alleged photos of a dead bin Laden floating around there.
The Associated Press reported: “Doctored photos purporting to show bin Laden’s corpse rocketed around the world on television, online via social media and in print almost as soon as his death was announced.
“The pictures have spread without regard for their origin or whether the images are real. Meanwhile, scammers have piggybacked on the popularity of the images and spiked supposed online links with computer viruses.
“Newsrooms and the public have been left in the tough spot of deciding what to believe when software has made doctoring photographs easier than ever. And the hunger for visual evidence of bin Laden’s death may only grow now that President Obama has said the government’s photos will remain classified.”
The CIA is allowing members of the House and Senate Intelligence and Armed Services committees to see the photos at the agency’s headquarters in Langley, Va.. Lawmakers cannot take copies of the photos with them.
Sen. James Inhofe, a Senate Armed Services Committee member, told the AP he saw photos of bin Laden’s body Wednesday at the CIA.
Inhofe said he spent nearly an hour looking over more than a dozen photos of bin Laden’s body. The photos were taken in Pakistan and on board the U.S. Navy ship that buried bin Laden’s body at sea.
Inhofe said one of the photos was of bin Laden’s head and showed what appeared to be the fatal wound. “It wasn’t a pretty picture,” the senator said, adding that the photo showed brain matter hanging out of the bin Laden’s eye socket.
Here’s a case where the real photo outdid the phony for once.
Other lawmakers say they don’t intend to look at the photos. Republican Rep. Mike Coffman of Colorado, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and a Marine combat veteran, said, “I don’t have any fascination with looking at photos of gunshot wounds to the face.
“I take their word for it.”
The Associated Press and others have requested copies of the photos and other materials under the Freedom of Information Act, which applies to the CIA but not to the White House.
The journalist in me hates to say this, but I agree with Obama’s decision not to release the photos of bin Laden’s body. What’s the point?
If a person doesn’t believe bin Laden is dead, will providing a photo of the corpse — in a time when images are so easily altered — convince anyone that the al-Qaida leader is really gone?
Besides, we already have proof that bin Laden is dead. The 9/11 mastermind’s followers and fans around the world have spent much of the past two weeks denouncing the United States for killing him and vowing to make America pay. Would they waste their breath if they believed bin Laden was still alive?
Inevitably, the genuine photos of bin Laden’s corpse will come to light. Even if the news organizations lose in court, it’s increasingly difficult to keep something secret. You might see them first in the National Enquirer, which happily and lavishly pays for news.
When those genuine, gruesome photos of a dead bin Laden are finally unveiled, the editors and news directors of the world will have a decision to make. To run or not to run?
• Contact Charles Corder at ccorder@gwcommonwealth.com.
