Tuesday, November 23, 2004

Kevin Sites' dilemma

I'm sure you saw the story last week about the U.S. Marine who shot an unarmed Iraqi in Falujah. It caused a lot of commentary from both pro- and anti-war types. But here's a story that you probably haven't seen or heard. This is the story of what happened that day in the mosque, told by Kevin Sites. He is the reporter who filmed the incident. It's told in his personal blog, in the form of a letter to the Marines he was with that day.

Since the story came out, Sites has been painted as a crusading anti-war activist, implying that his decision to release the tape was the wrong one. Listening to him talk about the conflicting emotions the story raises is instructive. It's also a vivid example of the stress that war reporters are under every day.

Read it yourself. It's instructive. In war, there are no easy answers to complex questions.

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