The death of a War Photographer.

CabanSail

Have just seen this article concerning the death of a Photographer in Baghdad in 2007. Apparently the accompanying Video Footage has only just been leaked. It makes for quite disturbing viewing, but shows the dangers of being a War Correspondent.

Thecageyone

Seen this on Flickr. tragic, but, they were mingled in with guys openly showing AK-47 rifles, and one of the photographers peers around the corner exposing a big lens on the camera, could have been mistaken for a weapon.

there's a lot of editing done with the clips on youtube etc ... too. Propaganda at it's best.

magicbastarder

there's a full, unedited version on youtube, over half an hour long, and one edited for reasons of brevity. i didn't find the video very illuminating (though they are quite disturbing).

charybdis

Thecageyone wrote: »

Seen this on Flickr. tragic, but, they were mingled in with guys openly showing AK-47 rifles, and one of the photographers peers around the corner exposing a big lens on the camera, could have been mistaken for a weapon.

It is both legal and very common for civilians in Iraq to possess small arms such as AK-47 variants and to carry them in public.

joeKel73

Came across this the last day. Here's the video on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rXPrfnU3G0

The relaxed comments and decisions by the US military guys is hard to believe, but it has been confirmed as genuine - terms like "Light 'em up!" and then laughing about the tanks running over the bodies.

Ghost Train

Big thread about it in after hours http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=2055875276

Bit disturbing seeing the guy with his children trying to offer help to the wounded and being targetted

the children did survive

daycent

I just watched it last night. Pretty disturbing. Like one big computer game to the helicopter pilots or so it seemed.

magicbastarder

foto joe wrote: »

The relaxed comments and decisions by the US military guys is hard to believe, but it has been confirmed as genuine

not surprising, and i think this is getting too much attention. these guys deal in death, and would naturally have what we would regard as a 'relaxed' attitude towards it. if you want to train people to be able to shoot from helicopters at unprotected pedestrians, you don't want someone who is going to break down in the process.

CabanSail

I have read the articles & looked at the 17 min version of the clip.

The radio talk does seem quite callous, but we are seeing just a small protion of what goes on there & I think that people have to adopt an attitude like that to be able to cope with what they are doing.

The reason I posted this is more about the dangers of doing a job as a Photographer in that enviroment.

smelltheglove

That is sickening. And there was me thinking that they had shut up and maybe felt a twinge of guilt when they realised they hit kids and no - they say well thats what you get for taking your kids into it...

Disgusting, and yet these people will be treated like heros when they return home.

sprinkles

Horrific! The feckless attitude towards people's lives that these guys have is astonishing. Gunning down unarmed people who are carrying bodies of the wounded - whether part of an armed militia or not - must surely be against some sort of code of ethics. The casual gung-ho nature of the murderer, even after realising he shot and wounded kids, is particularly harrowing.

I'm not an expert in war but I did't see anything about the group that signified an immediate danger. Could they not have tracked their movements until the ground support could verify their intents?

Hearts and minds indeed....

AnimalRights

USA/Israel the real Terrorists. Fact.

greener greene

Would anyone here try war photography?

I'd be tempted but I'm fairly sure I'd chicken out :rolleyes:

charybdis

sprinkles wrote: »

Horrific! The feckless attitude towards people's lives that these guys have is astonishing. Gunning down unarmed people who are carrying bodies of the wounded - whether part of an armed militia or not - must surely be against some sort of code of ethics. The casual gung-ho nature of the murderer, even after realising he shot and wounded kids, is particularly harrowing.

I'm not an expert in war but I did't see anything about the group that signified an immediate danger. Could they not have tracked their movements until the ground support could verify their intents?

Hearts and minds indeed....

Well, unfortunately, the initial helicopter strike was because they identified a group of civilians with an RPG launcher near a group of U.S. troops and when Noor-Eldeen used the corner of the street for cover and aimed his camera at the troops it looked a lot like someone levelling an RPG launcher at them. An RPG fired at ground troops does represent an immediate danger and it was probably this misidentification that prompted the attack.

AnimalRights

charybdis wrote: »

Well, unfortunately, the initial helicopter strike was because they identified a group of civilians with an RPG launcher near a group of U.S. troops and when Noor-Eldeen used the corner of the street for cover and aimed his camera at the troops it looked a lot like someone levelling an RPG launcher at them. An RPG fired at ground troops does represent an immediate danger and it was probably this misidentification that prompted the attack.

And what about the hundreds of other civilian deaths, were they all Camera welding terrorists too?

charybdis

AnimalRights wrote: »

And what about the hundreds of other civilian deaths, were they all Camera welding terrorists too?

Yes. Clearly. That is exactly what I said. Good summary.

sprinkles

charybdis wrote: »

Well, unfortunately, the initial helicopter strike was because they identified a group of civilians with an RPG launcher near a group of U.S. troops and when Noor-Eldeen used the corner of the street for cover and aimed his camera at the troops it looked a lot like someone levelling an RPG launcher at them. An RPG fired at ground troops does represent an immediate danger and it was probably this misidentification that prompted the attack.

Fair enough, as I said I ain't an expert and I have never been in that position but surely there was an alternative solution to firing first - possibly warn the US troops on the ground that were in danger or fire warning shots etc.

In any case the second attack in inexcusable. There were no weapons on display, only dead and dying people and a handful of people trying to help. Disgusting.

Their attitude's still stink.

Effects

charybdis wrote: »

Well, unfortunately, the initial helicopter strike was because they identified a group of civilians with an RPG launcher near a group of U.S. troops and when Noor-Eldeen used the corner of the street for cover and aimed his camera at the troops it looked a lot like someone levelling an RPG launcher at them. An RPG fired at ground troops does represent an immediate danger and it was probably this misidentification that prompted the attack.

It still comes back to the fact that US troops shouldn't be in that country.

mrboswell

Yea its obviously dangerous being a war journalist and I'm a chicken siht so its not for me but thankfully there are people who are drawn to it, who make a difference, including the person(s) who leaked the footage.

mrboswell

AnimalRights wrote: »

USA/Israel the real Terrorists. Fact.

Praise the lord - there are other people out there that are talking sense after all!

smelltheglove

greener greene wrote: »

Would anyone here try war photography?

I'd be tempted but I'm fairly sure I'd chicken out :rolleyes:

Strangely enough it was something I considered when young, my mam always said she could envision me doing it although at the time I was swaying toward journalism. Having a child young meant it never happened and o would never consider it now but hats of to anyone who does!

Borderfox

once you go into a war-zone your at the mercy of both sides

I would have strong morals on why the US shouldnt be there and if you see some of the soldiers you wouldnt like to think they are in charge of heavy weapons

Terrible shame on this particular guy but there has been some many civilians killed in wars its hard to comprehend each individual story

greener greene

smelltheglove wrote: »

Strangely enough it was something I considered when young, my mam always said she could envision me doing it although at the time I was swaying toward journalism. Having a child young meant it never happened and o would never consider it now but hats of to anyone who does!

I think I promised my mam I never would. She wasn't keen on 18 years of raising me so that I could go off to a warzone :cool: