Embedded Photojournalist Accuses US Military of Censorship After Being Barred for Publishing Photo of Dead Marine

The June 26th attack on a Fallujah city council meeting between local sheikhs and US military officials killed three marines, 2 interpreters, and 20 Iraqis. A few days after the bombing, the journalist who publishes under the name Zoriah posted some photographs of the scene on his blog www.zoriah.net

A few hours later a high-ranking Public Affairs official ordered him to remove the blog post. When Zoriah refused he was told his “embed” had been terminated and he would be flown out of Iraq.

In his blog posting introducing the photographs Zoriah wrote, “What I saw was abhorrently graphic, yet far too important for the world to ignore. I present images that provide an uncensored view of a terrible event, and some small measure of dignity to those who lost their lives.”

In a later posting he wrote “How can things change if all that comes out of Iraq are sanitized, white-washed images of war designed for mainstream media outlets who focus on making money, not on the quality and truth in what they report?”

After meeting with high-level officials in Iraq, Zoriah now retains his credentials. But he is still barred from documenting US marine operations.

Zoriah returned to the United States last week and he joins me now from Littleton, Colorado.

Guest, American journalist and war photographer. He was embedded with the Marine Corps in Anbar province in Iraq but is now barred from documenting the Marines because of photographs showing three Marines killed in a suicide bombing.

Related Links

• Zoriah.net