Posted on 01/31/2007 12:03:53 AM PST by Anita1
She said that after the newspaper account, with a photograph of the soldier, was published Monday, a Times reporter in Baghdad made indirect efforts to tell the family of the video release later that day. The video was still available for viewing on the Times' Web site Tuesday night, when the newspaper notified clients of its photo service that the photograph at issue was no longer available and should be eliminated from any archives.
Patrol turns deadly The controversy was ignited by the newspaper's account of the 27-year-old soldier's death in combat. It described in detail events on Haifa Street in Baghdad during a patrol Jan. 24 that turned deadly after a bullet struck Leija in the head.
Leija's family lives in the South Texas town of Raymondville. His Army material records show his home of record as Houston, according to a military spokesman at Fort Lewis, Wash., home of Leija's unit. Records showed a driver's license and voter registration for Leija in Raymondville, none in the Houston area.
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Robert Lobeck, serving as the Army's casualty assistance officer with Leija's family in Texas, said seeing the images of Leija on the Internet was very upsetting to the relatives.
"Oh God, they shouldn't have published a picture like that," Leija's cousin Tina Guerrero, who had not seen the images but was aghast about them anyway, told the Houston Chronicle on Tuesday in Raymondville. She said the images would be especially hurtful to the soldier's parents, Domingo and Manuela Leija, who have remained in the family's home on the edge of town. ''It's going to devastate them," Guerrero said. ''They're having enough pain dealing with the death of their son."
Accompanying the Times article was a picture of Leija on a stretcher, an Army medic using his right hand to compress the sergeant's wounded forehead. Leija was alive in the photograph. The story noted that he died later in the day.
Later Monday, the Times posted on its Web site a five-minute, 52-second video taken at the scene of the shooting, showing an interview with Leija before he was wounded, then the frantic moments after he is downed by a single shot.
14 rules govern journalists
The media and the Pentagon have sparred about the issue of the portrayal of Americans killed in Iraq — or even caskets containing remains — since the beginning of the war.
Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism in Washington, said the incident was typical of the dilemmas that face news organizations in war.
"The fact that a photograph upset people, even family members, is not always sufficient reason not to run it," Rosenstiel said. "Editors may decide that there is a compelling public interest in running a photograph precisely because it does upset an audience."
The agreement that journalists are asked to sign as a condition of embedding has 14 rules. Rule 11 covers military casualties: "Names, video, identifiable written/oral description or identifiable photographs of wounded service members will not be released without service member's prior written consent."
The ground rule goes on to say, "In respect for family members, names or images clearly identifying individuals 'killed in action' will not be released." The rule says names of soldiers killed can be released a day after family notification, but it does not address photographs or video images.
Chira said as far as she knew, the journalists had signed the forms. But she also said: "This issue has never been raised before when the New York Times has shown photographs of wounded soldiers."
The Times said it planned to discuss the issue today with Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander of the Multi-National Force Iraq.
Chira also said she had been told by the reporter in Baghdad that he had reached out to two people with Texas connections to act as intermediaries to alert the family that a video was going to be posted. They were Kathy Travis, a press aide to Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi, and Principal Gilbert Galvan of Raymondville High School.
Travis had a different account.
"Whoa, that isn't what happened," she said Tuesday night in a telephone interview. "The reporter called me late Monday afternoon and said he understood that the family was upset and that he wanted us to know that he had the utmost respect for the soldier and wanted us to let the family know that."
Galvan said a New York Times reporter called Monday, saying he could not reach Leija's relatives and asking Galvan to notify the family of the story and the impending release of the video.
Galvan said he went to the Leijas' house and relayed the message. "They looked upset," he said.
These media types are despicable, rotten, greedy, callous, insensitive, sickening, stupid...what more can I say?
My humble respects to Army Staff Sgt. Hector Leija's family and loved ones.
Suspended? Permanently revoke all the "so-called" b-turds out of there!
Prayers for the family.
What an arrogant ass!
Imbeds have no business accompanying our soldiers in the first place. It should not be allowed.
Journalists in this war are working for the enemy. They have been from the start. Nothing-----nothing is lower than a journalist looking to see his name on a story.
They have every right to be upset.
"The reporter called me late Monday afternoon and said he understood that the family was upset and that he wanted us to know that he had the utmost respect for the soldier and wanted us to let the family know that."
If he had the utmost respect for the family, he and the editor would have called and asked permission first.
The human garbage that allowed this needs to be dealt with accordingly.
I am waiting for the images of the now dying NYSlimes when they finally keel over for good. That will be a joyous day for America.
you're damn right I question your patriotism.
You're full blown Tokyo Rose traitors, aiding and abetting the enemy, doing everything you can to demoralize our soldiers and country.
Kick out the times and Getty.
The family should sue the hell out of them.
Re: "I question your patriotism."
I hope you're referring to the New York Times (or as another poster said - the NY Slimes) and Not me!
If Weekly World News bought out the NYTs and took control of their news and editorial pages I think we would see more credibility than we seem to have at the NYTs now.
He heard the call and............. he answered it.
He died.
Love him.
Bingo! When your feelings and our agenda are in conflict, guess who wins, and who better than an editor to insure that principle is never violated for any reason. Wonder how long it is going to take before blogs and the internet fully bring newspapers, to their knees, or if nothing else destroys any and all of their credibility, or the papers wise up and start telling the truth. In this case they got awfully close to the truth.
And yet our “esteemed” media is too sensitive to people’s feeling to show the hanging of Saddam.
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