ABC won't air video footage of injured anchor Bob Woodruff

[npincus]

no story yet... Sludge has the "exclusive" headline. As full of shit as he is, this one has the ring of truth. As Christianne Amanpour stated on "Larry King" the other night, the Pentagon restricts coverage of wounded Americans and Iraqis, so this has their censorship policy prints all over it...

"Developing"....

[Stephanie]

1. It's probably because his face was injured

His head and his face - he probably doesn't want to do it.

[MADem]

4. Well, his head anyway, and his neck, also

And those wounds, even those that are not as serious as the ones he got, are major bleeders. He had to have a chunk of his skull removed to accomodate brain swelling. They were not sure if he caught some shrapnel in the brain itself, or the swelling was just the result of significant concussion. I'm sure they know NOW, but I haven't heard one way or another...

I guess "If it bleeds, it leads" doesn't apply when the Pentagon foot is on the video camera.

I don't think he is in condition yet to do much chatting...but surely they have video of the incident. If the cameraman and reporter had their heads up out of the APC, they were probably shooting an "action shot" as part of a piece.

[Stephanie]

9. I doubt the camera survived the explosion

don't you think?

[MADem]

14. Oh, I'm certain it did

He was probably using a shoulder-held camera; they are quite heavy and very well constructed, and if the camera was totally blown to bits, the cameraman would likely not be alive. Even if it was heavily damaged, the video likely is intact.

From all I've read, their injuries were due primarily to concussion/shrapnel, not a direct hit.

[buff2]

10. Boy,that's a dag gone shame that had to happen.

It makes me cringe to hear about all the deaths and injuries coming out of bu$h's political war. That's what this so called "war" was all about,for bu$h's political gain. Put the fear of God in Amuricans,they rally around the pRESIDENT. God,what a selfish despicable person he is.

I hope I live long enough to see HIM suffer and for him to be punished for all the hell he has created.

[npincus]

13. I feel badly for him and his family personally

but shielding Americans from images of the horror of this war: wounded and dead American soldiers and civilians, Iraqis, and anybody caught up in 'Bush's War' is what's suppressed public outrage against this war, and kept the public from demanding we get the hell out NOW. If we started seeing coffins and the images the rest of the world is, Murtha would be mainstream and Americans (a majority) would be demanding to enact his plan to leave Iraq. If Americans saw images of the wounded anchor, it would be shocking, really bring home the stupidity, pointlessness, and folly of Bush's war of choice. And expedite our exit.

my opinion.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Can the Pentagon also censor any reports on Woodruff's recovery?

I think ABC should be telling Americans about how slow and difficult recovery is, but since they apparently aren't to be talking about wounded soldiers, they would have to talk about their newsman instead.

[txindy]

3. They'd have to point out that he had body armor that our troops don't

And that, without that armor, Woodruff and Vogt would both be dead. Inconvenient facts for both the Cabal and the M$M.

[MADem]

6. The networks pay for that, FWIW

And some of the reporters actually have far better protection than our troops--the high end stuff, with all of the jazzy ceramic inserts, and no "manufacturing issues" like the crap the USMC was wearing....

[txindy]

8. Oh, I know they had to buy it, but they don't want the word getting out

They want everyone to believe our troops have everything they need - and only the very best of everything. Meanwhile, they're threatening to not pay out on insurance policies if the troops purchase their own (far superior) armor and get injured/killed. If that isn't blackmail, I don't know what is.

Edit: For pre-coffee typos. ***sigh***

[Captain Hilts]

5. Why do we need to see this? Aren't the wounded entitled to privacy? nt

[peekaloo]

7. I heard some goobers yakking on a radio show last night that a lot

of soldiers, from top to bottom, aren't happy with the amount of air time Woodruff is receiving for his injuries.

I just wonder how many know about the censorship policies the Pentagoonies have placed on them.

[Squatch]

11. Don't worry...you can see the video at ogrish.com

[npincus]

12. CLARIFICATON***(can't edit post anymore)

Sludge just posted his article, which clarified the headline... ABC execs are holding the video footage that the injured photog was shooting, which would include presumably the IED exlposion.



ABCNEWS executives have not viewed the video footage that was being taped when anchorman Bob Woodruff was injured by an explosive in Iraq, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

Anchorman Woodruff and his cameraman Doug Hogt were in the hatch of a military vehicle taping footage last weekend when a bomb went off, seriously injuring both news veterans.

The war diary turned nightmare has remained in the original camera, a well-placed ABC source explained Thursday morning.

ABC executives made the controversial decision not to remove the tape from the camera.