Critics upset over CNN sniper footage

CNN had every right to show that footage, whether you agree with it or not, whether you support the war or not.

War is hell. People die.

Some of you mentioned that you feel that CNN should have showed different war footage; one person mentioned that they'd like to see Us soldiers killing insurgents; someone else said they'd like to see footage of the insurgents beheading innocent Americans. I say show it all. Show the war in all its bloody, gory glory. Show people's heads getting blown off, show soldiers losing their limbs, show the insurgents sacrificing themselves to hurt innocent civilians. Show it all.

Then you make the decision you make, whether you are for or against this war, and you make peace with it either way. Or would you rather all believe that Iraq looks like an episode of G.I. Joe?

I haven't seen the footage and don't intend to. CNN was wrong to show the footage. It simple furthers the enemy's goal of causing instability in Bagdad. To call them insurgents implies that they offer a valid political alternative to the current authority. They are most probably outside anarchist combatants from Syria or Iran NOT INSURGENTS.

We need news agencies to report NEWS and events, not make them up or contrive them, to boost their ratings. Yes make it up!, because CNN becomes an accomplice in murder when accepting this contrived film as if their reporter were filming, and we know full well that the photographer was involved; knowing in advance what was about to happen. The moral issue for CNN in deciding to use this footage becomes similar to using NAZI medical data derived from concentration camp victims.

If average people pledge to write to CNN and let them know that we will not be watching them for the duration of the war, that will hurt them where it will count, and maybe encourage then to consider the reaction of the American people, (and all free nations) next time. Like it or not CNN you are a phenomenom of the Western World. You cannot be objective and present "both sides" of the issue no more than Aljazeera can presume to present a balanced Western prospective to their audience.

So CNN supports terrorism by showing their propaganda films to help Muslim terrorism groups do their recruiting. They don't support the Coalition effort to bring Democracy to a struggling nation. They could show the beheadings of American workers and their dead corpses hanging from a bridge. That would strengthen the resolve of Americans to fight terrorism wherever it is including Iraq. So CNN isn't following a journalism goal. They're following a political goal to benefit Muslim Terrorists. Should they continue to have an FCC license to continue their quest? I think not.

Just an election year stunt by CNN. From what I understand this video is almost a year old and the professional sniper team that made the kill has already been eliminated by the US. If CNN is so fair and wants to show both sides, where are the US sniper teams that kill the insurgents? Why does CNN always practice discretion when it comes to US adversaries? Where are the kill shots on the Arab terrorists?

Glad to see Cee and erroneous_nick's comments. Both are very well stated, and I agree entirely.

I think the part that reall burned me was Mr. Cooper's assertion that this footage was a 'CNN Exclusive' over and over.

I don't think CNN should've showed the footage, but I also have the option to not watch CNN and their decision gave me another reason not to tune in. If the footage was gotten from insurgents by a reporter, then I agree with Cee that the reporter ought to turn over any and all information about these insurgents so they can be shot (I disagree about capturing them). Collaborating with enemies for the sake of ratings is still treasonous and, frankly, disgusting.

The only reason CNN decided to show it was because they want to make Iraq look so horrible that people will vote for Democrats to cut and run. What was so necessary to show it? Is anyone shocked that soldiers and our men and women die in war? You know how many people died in ww2? Hundreds of thousands, if they would have showed video of American troops being killed back then the spirit of the country and our troops would have dropped to an all time low.

You know what?? People die in war, are you shocked? Did you think they are all just sitting in barracks watching fox news and listening to Rush? Your damn straight people die in war, and it's not necessary for CNN to shove it down our throats and make us angry about it just to help the Left win an election.

During war you want to try to keep the morale up, they are doing a job there and agree or disagree with them being there or the politicians who voted on this war (before some of them voted against it) should not make a damn difference. These are our own people there dying. Someone's son or daughter who lost their live fighting for our freedom to write on some dumb blog.

How about treating our solders with the tiniest bit of dignity?

Worse is that CNN has connections to insurgents that they gave CNN an exclusive!! Would CNN turn over their sources so that we can capture the insurgents who shot this video and protect our troops? Or does getting an exclusive outweigh American lives ... gotta love CNN ...

Isn't it funny, Malren? I think I have a soul (was there the last time I checked) but I find nothing wrong with showing this footage (If you watch the News Hour, they show relatively more gruesome footage. That's because their an actual news show). If you don't want to know the carnage happening in Iraq every day because our leaders were either naively decieved into believing Iraq was actually a threat and we were liberating the people, or we wanted the oil, then don't watch.

I believe you are mistaking your soul for your cowardice and ignorance, common mistake.

I like how we're manly enough to send them there to die but not enough to watch it. And no, knowing about it is not the same as seeing it; why don't you look up some pictures from Iraq on gore sites and tell me if the sight of an American posing next to a pile of entrails is the same as reading "One Iraqi Dead".

Why not show it? Because it's terrorist propaganda, that's why.

Because an American soldier was murdered, that's why.

Because that was someone's child, that's why.

If you were a human with a soul, you'd already know these answers. And no, I do not think it's OK to show American soldiers killing insurgents either. They're someone's children too.

Let the dead have some small measure of dignity. War doesn;t have to kill them twice, and you shouldn't get to use them as propaganda for either side.