Shame on the AP

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has criticized the AP's publication of a soldier's photo over the family's objections.

AP's rationale,as far as I can tell, according to "On The Media" anyway, is that the photograph helps show the brutality of war. My answer to that would be, first of all, that any thinking person should be aware of the reality of war, and second of all, if we're not aware of the reality of war, you're the mother flipping AP! Show us, for heaven's sake!

I've never entirely bought the argument that the media only delivers to us what we want. I don't think they have any idea what we want-if they did, they wouldn't be in such trouble-and even if they did, they have a higher responsibility to tell us what we need to know. It takes work to make it entertaining, but that's, you know, your job.