I've been depressed this last week. I can't get the evil images of PFC Lynndie England out of my mind, pointing at the genitals of hooded Iraqi prisoners and giving a thumbs up with a sneering smile and a cigarette dangling out of the corner of her mouth. I can't fathom the reasons why our military leaders chose to continue usage of the Abu Graihb prison, knowing full well it was a lasting symbol of the evil deeds perpetrated by the regime of Sadaam Hussein. Now, Abu Graihb is no longer just a metaphor for Sadaam--we will be intrinsically linked to it for a generation, if not more.

The London Guardian has an excellent recounting of the history of this catastrophe.

Here's a good commentary by Frank Rich that summarizes the events of the last 10 days--not just the photos, but also Nightline's telecast of "The Fallen" and the hypocrisy of various conservative broadcast outlets.

Fareed Zakaria has an great column about responsibility in Newsweek.

Journalistic Ethics

Here's a report in the University of Oregon's student newspaper about a lecture given by LA Times editor John Carroll, who bemoans the rise of progaganda as journalism. Here's a quote:

"Carroll cited a study released last year that showed Americans had three main
misconceptions about Iraq: That weapons of mass destruction had been found, a connection between al-Qaeda and Iraq had been demonstrated and that the world approved of U.S intervention in Iraq. He said 80 percent of people who primarily got their news from Fox believed at least one of the misconceptions. He said the figure was more than 57 percentage points higher than people who get their news from public news broadcasting."