A furious Defense Secretary Robert Gates has upbraided The Associated Press for its decision to go against the wishes of a young Marine’s family and publish a photograph of him after he was killed in Afghanistan.In a scathing letter to Tom Curley, president and chief executive of The A.P., Mr. Gates called the wire service’s decision “appalling” and said the issue was not one of constitutionality but “judgment and common decency.”The publication of such dramatic images has been relatively rare, partly because journalists are not often on hand to see such incidents and because military guidelines, which The A.P. followed, bar the showing of pictures of dead soldiers before the family is notified.
The A.P. defended the decision, which editors said they made only after careful review and sharing the pictures with the family. In an explanation of its deliberations, The A.P. said it decided “to make public an image that conveys the grimness of war and the sacrifice of young men and women fighting it.”
Before sending the package to its newspaper clients, The A.P. sent a reporter to Maine to talk with the man’s family. They did so out of respect, Michael Oreskes, The A.P.’s senior managing editor, said in an interview, not to ask permission to publish the pictures. But the father, John, an ex-Marine himself, asked the wire service not to publish the picture, saying it would only hurt the family more. He repeated that request in a later phone conversation.
In an advisory to clients, The A.P. said its articles and photographs “offered vivid insights into how the battle was fought, and into Bernard’s character and background. It also includes an interview with his father, an ex-Marine, who three weeks earlier had written letters complaining that the military’s rules of engagement are exposing the troops in Afghanistan to undue risk.”
After the articles and pictures had been distributed but before they were published, Mr. Gates called Mr. Curley to beseech him to change his mind.
“I am begging you to defer to the wishes of the family,” Mr. Gates said, according to his spokesman. Shortly after hanging up, Mr. Gates sent his letter.
The A.P. defended the decision, which editors said they made only after careful review and sharing the pictures with the family. In an explanation of its deliberations, The A.P. said it decided “to make public an image that conveys the grimness of war and the sacrifice of young men and women fighting it.”
Before sending the package to its newspaper clients, The A.P. sent a reporter to Maine to talk with the man’s family. They did so out of respect, Michael Oreskes, The A.P.’s senior managing editor, said in an interview, not to ask permission to publish the pictures. But the father, John, an ex-Marine himself, asked the wire service not to publish the picture, saying it would only hurt the family more. He repeated that request in a later phone conversation.
In an advisory to clients, The A.P. said its articles and photographs “offered vivid insights into how the battle was fought, and into Bernard’s character and background. It also includes an interview with his father, an ex-Marine, who three weeks earlier had written letters complaining that the military’s rules of engagement are exposing the troops in Afghanistan to undue risk.”
After the articles and pictures had been distributed but before they were published, Mr. Gates called Mr. Curley to beseech him to change his mind.
“I am begging you to defer to the wishes of the family,” Mr. Gates said, according to his spokesman. Shortly after hanging up, Mr. Gates sent his letter.
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