I suppose I would be a bit of an anomaly regarding some of these photos being that I knew personally the men that were hung from that bridge in Fallujah, and I saw many of my friends rolled into the "CASH" in Baghdad on those green gurneys with there consistently flattened tires and stench of effluence. Conflict is certainly a loaded scenario, but no matter what our personal feelings, the public appetite for war and its processes are insatiable. There is hardly an experience more enduring in the human condition than that of warfare, therefore it only stands to reason that the public would have an appetite to consume the imagery that is generated in these far away lands.

That being said, and being an economist at heart I tend to automatically assume that anywhere there is a market a vendor will emerge to fill it. However, whether or not that vendors products are ethically viable is another issue all together. In this case the AP is acting as a vendor and trading on tragedy to build buzz and attention. When I really consider this issue rationally I would choose to publish the photos. Mainly for the reason that the happenings of the world are the domain and property of the world at large, and it is a slippery slope when you begin to limit what may or may not be consumed by the public at large. There are exceptions to this rule (as there are exceptions to all rules). I would not publish pictures, under any circumstances, that would increase the danger to U.S. troops. I can make this distinction being that I view journalism as a reactionary profession, one that should report the news and information truthfully, not endanger lives over mistakes made. I don't feel like these photos meet that criteria. There is emotional content in these photos, but in my opinion not inappropriate material.

Using the thought process I mentioned in the last paragraph I would choose to run the photos from previous wars, and from future wars. Lack of information or ignorance to subject matter is hardly a good alternative to a little discomforting material. Especially when the consumer of the news material still holds the ultimate choice in what they consume. Let the choice be made at an individual level, not an institutional one.