A corpse is a corpse, of course, of course...

[figmo]

After our government accused Iraq of "violating the Geneva convention" for showing corpses of US soldiers, ABC just showed corpses of Iraqi soldiers.

I don't see the difference.

Comments

[ikkyu2.livejournal.com]

I don't think it was so much the corpses that were the Geneva violation, as the parading of live captives on TV for psychological purposes; and their public interrogations. In theory you're supposed to be allowed to say your name, rank, and serial number, and further than that remain silent, without reprisal; the identifying data is to be used to arrange POW swaps et cetera. This was when even countries that were at war had some kind of diplomatic relations, and harkens back to Marquis of Queensbury rules and the ruling feudal classes of Old Europe.

There's also a case to be made that ABC didn't sign the Geneva Convention, but I won't be the one to make it.

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

But access to the POWs is controlled by the military entity holding them, and they are part of the U.S. Government, which *did* sign the Geneva Convention.

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

AFAIK, the Geneva Convention violations have to do with airing the pictures and questioning of the POWs, not the corpses.

That said, NBC News aired video of Iraqi POWs (being displayed during a walk and talk by Kerry Sanders) which, in my view, violated the exact same article the U.S. Government is citing. There is no difference.

[figmo.livejournal.com]

Agreed. Sigh.

So much for our profession.

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

One interpretation which I heard last night is that it isn't what the media do with pictures which is regulated by the Convention, but what the warring military and political systems do in terms of 'parading' prisoners in front of cameras, and deliberately filming victims, in ways which are degrading to the people involved.

I cannot comment, however.

[drewkitty.livejournal.com]

In a word, baloney. If the POWs are not completely free to refuse media interviews, including specific questions -- remember they are _prisoners_ and are NOT free in other ways -- they are being exploited for propaganda value.

This is media war, and we're losing.

It is a fundamental tenet of PsyOP that you _MUST_ retain your reputation for telling the truth, or all is in tatters. And we are clearly, provably NOT telling the truth . . . this really sucks.