There has been a lot written about the issue since the ban's recent lift and photographs of an American soldier's coffin were permitted for the first time in 18 years. Photographs are allowed by the military if the family consents, and in this case the wife of Phillip Myers, a soldier killed in Afghanistan, gave permission. One of the basic points raised during the debate was the "if a tree falls in the forest and there is nobody there, does it make a sound?" argument.
Poynter
Opinion column
"If a soldier is killed and there is no coffin to see, is he really dead?" was the comparison. Although its slightly off-topic or much broader, one of the aspects of dying newspapers in the U.S. is the fact that so much will not be covered. It is estimated that corruption will skyrocket without less watchdogs around to monitor wrongdoing. Citizen journalists are limited in what they can do. Still, having more press freedom is key.
Photo by Tami Silicio
Maytag Aircraft fired military contractor Tami Silicio for violating the military ban on photographing coffins in 2004 along with the newly wed's husband David Landry. Silicio, a non-professional photographer, was previously the last to have a photograph of American coffins published. She did it without compensation.
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