New York Post: Too Far?

That said, it remains one of my goals as an aspiring journalist to be the headline writer for the Post.

It's easy! Just replace S's with dollar signs.

They'd complain that the Post printed the dying quote (as though PWNT J00!!! was Arabic)

Like they've done dozens of times broadcasting the murders of kidnapped people in Iraq?

Like they've done dozens of times broadcasting the murders of kidnapped people in Iraq?

Except that they're alive...

Ethically I don't equate showing hostage tapes and mocking the dead for their particular religious beliefs.

Just imagine if an Arab newspaper had a picture of a dead soldier (who they deemed to be a terrorist, let's say one from Haditha) and they put a caption on it mocking Christianity. It's the same thing. Hell, even take the US and the insurgents out of the picture, since that tends to be a touchy subject. If Palestinian newspapers were mocking the Israeli dead with antisemitic slogans, there would surely be some outrage and not only by the Israelis I'd hope.

Yet another example of how the US thinks it is a morally superior nation.

Arab networks broadcasting the murders of kidnapped people in Iraq (who, by and large, are other Arabs) are doing the world a favor. At least they get to see what war really is-- death, depravity, and destruction. Compare them to the US media, which won't show images of all the coffins returning to the US, the injured soldiers and Iraqi civilians, and the depravities that occured at Abu Ghraib. Maybe if people here understood what war really was they wouldn't be so hot to get into one in the future. Furthermore, no one on Al Jazeera or any other Arab network celebrates the death of kidnapped people, who, again, are usually other Arabs. They are showing the videos as a news service, not as some kind of idiotic joke.

Anyway, my feeling on the NY Post caption is that it's silly and offensive. But they are certainly free to write whatever drivel they want.

Yet another example of how the US thinks it is a morally superior nation.

I don't think it is fair to align the US with the headlines of the NY Post. The U.S. Government did not print anything this careless - although I am on the fence with regard to showing the picture of Al-Zarqawi at all (I realize why they do it..but I am not sure it's worth it).

Al-Zarqawi video taped himself cutting off heads, recruited young men to commit suicide, and killed more Muslims of his own country than he did his enemies. I think we have to realize that Al-Zarqawi was not a stable individual - also remember he had a history prior to Iraq of killing and getting in trouble. I say this, because it's not fair to compare what we say or show of Al-Zarqawi with how we would feel if this were done with American Soldiers. That is an apples to oranges comparison. I think a better way to look at this is how would we feel if Charles Manson or Ted Bundy were caught by the Muslims and made fun and mocked by their papers. I bet we wouldn't care...

I agree with Mr Egyptian, "Maybe if people here understood what war really was they wouldn't be so hot to get into one in the future."
I find it offensive to make a joke out of an image of a dead man, no matter how wicked he might be. Life is precious and the death of al-Zarqawi came at the cost of many other(probably) innocent people (who was in the house when the bombs hit? how about the other attempts that missed him?)

You realize how big of a fit we'd be in if Arab news companies were taking pictures of dead American soldiers and captioning them like this?

Indeed. Furthermore, this kind of "journalism" and similar behavior by half of the American people doesn't prove for one moment that we are the "good guys, spreading peace, Freedom™ and Democracy™"

Mocking Christianity is fine, mocking Christians themselves is different.

Hate the religion, not the religious.

For most people, they always hate what they don't understand.

I understand it very well, and while I don't hate it, it definitely leads me to dislike it.

If these same people respect you for your own beliefs, why can't you do the same?

They don't. Atheists are considered one of the least trustworthy people in America for some reason.

A recent study from the University of Minnesota revealed atheists to be the least trustworthy people by a majority of those polled, with Midwesterners harboring more contempt for atheists than coastal dwellers. According to the study, atheists rate lower than Muslims, recent immigrants and homosexuals in many households.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not out on the street verbally assaulting anyone I see wearing a cross. I normally keep my views to myself when it comes to religion. But all too often I'm confronted by someone who is trying to shove the bible down my throat, and that's when I don't hold back - I've done it a few times on here as many I'm sure have seen.

I agree, I don't think it is over the line at all.