Seattle Times Publish Controversial Photo

22 April 2004

by Anai Rhoads

AnaiRhoads.org - In order to avoid criticism from civilians for the Iraq invasion, United States President George W. Bush reminded the media of a 1991 ban on all images relating to military deaths shortly after the war began. The restriction was designed to thwart the brutality of war as well as protect the grieving families.

Tami Silicio, snapped photographs of 20 caskets as they were being moved into a U.S. Air Force transport airplane in Kuwait. All 20 coffins were said to have been treated honourably, with the American flag cascading over them.

50 year-old Silicio, an employee with the army sub-contractor, Maytag Aircraft Corp., was soon fired from her position, along with her husband, for releasing the photographs to her friend Amy Katz.

Katz quickly distrubuted the images to the Seattle Times Editor David Boardman with the help of an agent. Silicio did not profit from the published photos, and it is yet unclear how much Katz was paid.

Before this incident, the media had respected the restriction originally ordered by the Pentagon. It was noted that contractors and other employees had taken photos during the transfer of the coffins, but none have been published or sold apart from Silicio's.

Washington Post White House reporter Dana Milbank spoke out in 2003, saying, "To this problem, the Bush administration has found a simple solution: It has ended the public dissemination of such images by banning news coverage and photography of dead soldiers' homecomings on all military bases."

The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. refused to lift the censor ban in 1996 after the media fought to change the law.

David Perlmutter, a professor at Louisiana State University, was quoted by the Seattle Times saying, "The image of dead Americans, especially the dead American soldier, is probably the most powerful image of war for Americans, it's the one that immediately strikes us in the gut, because we hate to see it but we recognise we may need to see it."

International media is less censored, never shying away from showing the realities of war, natural disasters and other major events that affect humankind. Some say the Pentagon's ban may be harmful as it may only serve to appease Americans.

Publishing the photo has no doubt sparked a great deal of controversy.

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