I keep meaning to write something a bit more complete about this, but I'm always struck at the amazing disconnect which happens when, for whatever reason, the Blackhawk Down event in Somalia is referenced in current media reports. It's still spoken of as like The Worst US Military Event In Modern History, even though given the backdrop of the Iraq war, let alone the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Lebanon, it's rather strange that it maintains such a distinction. The reason is, obviously, that it was on the TeeVee, something unthinkable today. The networks wouldn't broadcast it.
Whether it's military or civilian carnage, our beloved press has decided that these are images our beautiful minds shouldn't be bothered with. It's an absurd position to have, especially given the existence of this thing called the internet which allows news agencies to make these things public without having people see them without warning. I don't really agree with the idea that such things are inappropriate for the pages of a newspaper or a nightly news broadcast, but there's a tiny argument in support of it. What isn't defensible is the notion that these things should simply be suppressed and locked away.
