AP "Photo Journalist" Julie Jacobson (left) is the one that took the picture of LCpl Bernard in his moment of ultimate sacrifice for Democracy, Freedom, and defense of citizens unable to defend themselves. Her life has been protected by the very same Marines and Troops, "so she could do her job" while she was snapping this picture of this Marine's sacrifice.
In her "moral dilemna" of choosing between attempting to save his life or capturing a potential Pulitzer Prize winning photograph of life seeping from a Hero's body, she chose her own glory and capturing images of the death she may have been able to help prevent, the death of a Marine who had helped keep her alive.
Thomas A. Curley (right) is the Associated Press Chief Executive Officer who made the final decision to publish the picture despite the wishes of the family. Before heading up the AP (since 2003), he ran USA Today, a Gannett owned newspaper, taking over from his brother John in 1998.
He has Bachelor's Degree in political science from LaSalle University (1970) in Philadelphia and an MBA from the Rochester Institute of Technology(1977). He was born on 6 July 1948 in Easton, PA.
Bio: "Freedom Forum"
John Daniszewski (right) is the Senior Managing Editor of the Associatied Press and was a key decision maker in publishing the picture.
List of Articles by Daniszewski in LA Times
Santiago Lyon (left) is Director of Photography at the Associated Press and justified the decision with "We feel it is our journalistic duty to show the reality of the war there, however unpleasant and brutal that sometimes is"
More on his background here.
Associated Press Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll said "they understood this was a painful issue for Bernard's family and that they were sure that factor was being considered by the editors deciding whether or not to publish the photo, just as it had been for the AP editors who decided to distribute it.”
The 5/28/2002 Press Release announcing her appointment and asking:
Contact: Paul Colford or Jack Stokes
AP Corporate Communications
212.621.1720
Not yet pictured: Alfred de Montesquiou, the co-conspirator and author of the AP story in which the picture was published. His list of articles in the AP.
Based on Information found at The Politico. And previously reported on War On Terror News here:
Rest In Peace: LCpl Joshua M. Bernard. The Interview LCpl Bernard's father John Bernard by Jim Bennett.
John Bernard was clear in stating to the AP that they did not have permission to publish his son's anguish. The AP ignored the family's wishes. Those (along with unnamed co-conspirators) pictured above were more concerned with money and glory than human decency. And a part of their motivation is clearly to undermine Support of Our Troops and the Mission they've accepted.
This is yet one more example of why Troops distrust the media, why they disdain journalists and why we have the message we do.
It falls into the category of Time Magazine's false reports on Haditha that caused many Troops' and Muslim lives around the world, the Newsweek Magazine's false reports on Gitmo that has cost many lives around the world and so many other bad examples of the media in that it cannot be taken back. The damage is done.
The repercussions for AP should be costly. They should be financial: loss of advertisers, loss of subscriptions, and if possible compensation to the family for mental pain and anguish. The board of directors should rid their organization of the leeches on journalism that have infested it from the "journalists" embedded in Afghanistan that preferred pictures of death to saving a life to the CEO who so callously ignored the wishes of the family.
Voice YOUR Concerns! Email the following individuals:
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202-641-9281
[email protected]
Director, Human Resources
202-641-9311
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Director, Financial Planning
202-641-9031
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Assistant Managing Editor/Planning
202-641-9772
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Assistant Managing Editor/ News Wires
202-641-9773
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Update 2: Some consider the publication of a Marine's final moments in pictures a good thing. Their "logic" demonstrates the political motivation behind the publication of the picture:
"War is ugly! Now maybe people will realize the sacrifices these men and woman are making for this country and now maybe people won't be so kungho about wanting the US to continue this stupid war." User ILuvLA On The Huffing Post
"I don't really care to read your answers, just rhetorically pointing out how silly you are." User Lordjin, Huffing Post (In response to arguments for honoring the family's wishes)
"To all of those who oppose the picture why dont you oppose the war as just as vehemently." User Gary1847, Huffing Post
"The public needs to see the reality of war and not what comes on our national and local news. The civilians over their don't get that chance. They see this every day. They can't protect their children from this reality. Who are we to start a war and not face the reality of it because its somewhere else?" User Bolivare, Huffing Post
"you are sickened, you are shocked, yes? Then the photo worked and YOU needed to see it more than anyone else." Lordjin, Huffing Post
"Is the release of this photo against the family's wishes more or less reprehensible than pursuing a pointless, dead-end, untenable armed conflict " Lordjin, Huffing Post
"well this picture and pictures like this is why we quit Vietnam. actually see the blood and have compassion for the guts and ask it it is worth it" KriTiKit, Huffing Post
"America too, needs to see the horrific after math of war and question themselves and their leaders as to WHY? WHY? WHY are we there and is it worth it? What are we to gain? What is the ultimate goal and who is benefiting from all the death and destruction??" User MakeAWish Huffing Post
"It is time for our country to leave Afganistan and Iraq for good.
It is especially important for youthful adults to find ways to serve their community in positive ways that guarantee that they do not cause their mothers to cry." WillMc, Huffing Post" How convenient it is that the MSM that dominates the news market allows censorship denying Americans to see those who are killed and maimed by war. If that isn't a form or pro-war propaganda, I don't know what is." JRutle Huffing Post
"The families have regrettably experienced great tragedy and loss, but when the American public is shielded from the horrors that our public policymakers have created, is it any wonder that we see the world so differently than even our western allies? Shielding the public from viewing the pictures of war serves only the pro-war forces in our country" JRutle, Huffing Post
To sum it up: the anti-war crowd views the publication of the picture as a good and necessary event to further their agenda of creating a retreat/defeat in Afghanistan. They view the Family's anguish as justifiable in order to push their agenda. As they realize that such the continued pursuit of one sided fatality reports undermines popular support in the US for winning, they simultaneously call "body counts" of the enemy losses counterproductive, though it is a logical conclusion that when one understands that appearance of one sided losses (reality is the Taliban are taking them) undermines support, then publicizing enemy losses instead of friendly losses would undermine the enemy popular support rather than US citizen support.
The current policies (as opposed to those last year) prevent the Military from publishing the number of enemy killed. The Main Stream Media has rarely published the truth: that the enemy is killing civilians by the thousands, while losing 10x their own that they have inflicted on us. Political Correctness isn't the game, it's the excuse. The Politics of Peace isn't about ending war. It is about pushing an Anti-US agenda. It is embraced by some politicians who see political gain in it.
The AP continues to run a daily body count total of US Troops that have made the ultimate sacrifice for your safety, security, freedom, and democracy, but nowhere to be found are the numbers, even rough estimates of how many terrorists and wannabe tyrants, how many of the atrocious enemy have been killed. The MSM continues to paint a picture designed to misportray the efforts of Our Troops as pointless, defeating, and doomed to failure, despite the reality that Our Troops are Valorous, Victorious, and Generous.
Stumble It!
