Ashamed of the cost of war

(via E&P)

I imagine most people have heard about government regulations barring coverage of American war dead. This is not new, and something that was done even in the Clinton administration.

Restricting media access sounds pretty bad - but I can see the protection of an individual right under that policy. If I had a family member returning on one of those planes - I might not want them to be greeted by journalists snapping pictures and writing stories using their name.

Yes, the government has its own agenda in squelching this kind of coverage - but at least while the bodies are in their care, I think they can be permitted to deny public access. The information does get out, just without visuals.

What genuinely bothers me is that the government apparently assumes that they can muzzle the press even when the dead are in the custody of their families - during the funeral

Citing WaPo's Dana Milbank, E&P explains:

The family of 38-year-old Hall, who leaves behind two young daughters and two stepsons, gave their permission for the media to cover his Arlington burial -- a decision many grieving families make so that the nation will learn about their loved ones' sacrifice. But the military had other ideas, and they arranged the Marine's burial yesterday so that no sound, and few images, would make it into the public domain.

If you think that's unreasonable, you're not alone. The public affairs director at Arlington National Cemetery took issue with this approach:

When Gina Gray took over as the public affairs director at Arlington National Cemetery about three months ago, she discovered that cemetery officials were attempting to impose new limits on media coverage of funerals of the Iraq war dead -- even after the fallen warriors' families granted permission for the coverage. She said that the new restrictions were wrong and that Army regulations didn't call for such limitations.

Six weeks after The Washington Post reported her efforts to restore media coverage of funerals, Gray was demoted. Twelve days ago, the Army fired her.

Read the full story on WaPo