Pictures Of Murdered ABC Journalists Removed

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Media Issues

On Friday, we mentioned that two Iraqi ABC News journalists had been murdered in Baghdad. Along with the news, we posted a picture of the two men that had been released by ABC News.

Late Friday evening, a producer informed us via email that the picture had been pulled both from our post and from the story about the murders on CBSNews.com. According to the email, the families of the dead men had informed ABC News that they were receiving death threats, presumably because it was now known that the men had worked for an American media outlet. ABC News asked CBSNews.com to take the photos down, and producers here agreed.

The "Evening News" discussed the murders on the Friday broadcast, but anchor Katie Couric did not use the names or photos of the men on the air. CNN also declined to use their names and pictures; Howard Kurtz cited the fact that "the families of those killed have been receiving threats, and CNN is seen internationally" as the reason. ABC News, in its extensive coverage of the killings on "World News" on Friday, did use their names and photos.

"After approving the release of the photos of Alaa and Saif on Friday morning, the families later in the day grew concerned for their own safety," ABC News spokeswoman Cathie Levine told Public Eye. "From that point on, we limited our use of the pictures, recognizing that we live in a digital age and the photos had been distributed electronically."

According to Levine, "World News" normally airs in the Middle East, but Friday's edition was not put on the air there.

As for the decision to remove of the pictures, it ultimately might not have made much difference, as the proverbial genie was already out of the bottle. (And, of course, the men's names remain all over the Internet.) But ABC News (and, ultimately, CBSNews.com) did the right thing by honoring the family's request, if only for the outside chance that doing so might have made them safer.

The situation with the photos drives home how perilous it can be for Iraqi journalists to work for American media outlets: Not only can they be killed for doing so, but their families can be at risk if they are found out - even after they are murdered. Without the work of these journalists, the quality of the coverage out of Iraq – and our understanding of the war – would be greatly diminished.

"They are really our eyes and ears in Iraq," ABC's Terry McCarthy said after the attack. "Many places in Baghdad are just too dangerous for foreigners to go now, so we have Iraqi camera crews who very bravely go out … without them we are blind, we cannot see what's going on."

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by brianbwb-2009 May 24, 2007 5:21 AM EDT: The removal of the images illustrates a cold reality, we the US) are the terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan, we are the enemy. Bush lied to get us over there, can any rational mind blame them for their resentment? Neither the Afghanis or the Iraqis attacked us, but in violation of our own constitution, and on a basis of lies we declared "war" on them. For both sides, anyone helping the enemy is also the enemy, the US neocons like to "detain", kidnap, torture and generally lynch people because they suspect them of helping the enemy, and then wring their hands and wail when their own attitude is turned back on them. My humble request for any mainstream media still concerned about its' credibility; top calling the lies "bad intel". Bush obviously knew they were lies long before he started spewing them. As can be seen in the blog below, there are those who buy into the propaganda lock, stock, and barrel, so now refer to people as animals and call for another round of religious genocide, as if they haven't already had enough.
And so the cycle of violence escalates...; Reply to this comment


by godi70 May 24, 2007 4:17 AM EDT: I am sure that among the new generation of journalists in especial the ones that now are so stupid and acting like children in a war that have nothing to do with war but a massacre following the example of the Yugoslavia massacre are some ones that like to kill and photographing dead peoples.

Now are the Americans journalist who are like the army and acting pursuing I do not know what kind of legendary celebrity. Every day we see news that should no be displaying. Journalist please, we are handling with beast. REMEMBER, beast. The Muslims folks who are 99% not a civilized folks are programmed to KILL.
They only are the imitation of the American way of life in their shirts and jeans, but inside they always will be uncivilized animals predators.
Journalists stop to show the degenerative Muslim world. What you are doing is exactly what they want to have publicity about there uncivilized world and free of charge. While we must vomiting every evening before so much TV degeneration news.
I had had enough with the Yugoslavia massacre but now you are showing every day, here, or in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Israel. STOP. PLEASE!

Where are the professionals%u2019 journalists that no stop the amoral world full of no professional but of sharks without education or moral or religious believing?
Amorphous-humans looking for the salary of the dea; Reply to this comment


by ronmwanga May 24, 2007 2:47 AM EDT: The cooperation across the networks on the matter of doing the right thing and keeping the families of journos safe is a nice moment of respite within the normally cutthroat competitiveness that exists -- especially now -- between the network news divisions. These are the things that tabloids, unfortunately, pass over in favor of the negative line tossed off in the heat of the sweeps.; Reply to this comment