NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?
SUMMARY
Following President Obama's announcement that Osama bin Laden had been killed by U.S. forces, the next question from the media and from any Americans was: will photos of his body be released to the public? President Obama answered that question after several days of deliberating, stating that his administration will not release the photos.
While some argue the photos are the only way to prove to the public that bin Laden is dead, President Obama says that their release could incite violence among bin Laden's followers. Representative Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) supports that decision, saying that the photo release could cause problems for U.S. troops in the Middle East.
However, Congressman Peter King (R-N.Y) supports making the photos public because he doesn't want people to develop conspiracy theories about bin Laden's death. He also feels the photos are not too graphic to show to the public.
The U.S. government has made decisions about photo releases before, most recently about releasing pictures of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's dead sons and of prison abuses at Abu Ghraib.
View the transcript of the story.
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QUOTES
"It is important for us to make sure that very graphic photos of somebody who was shot in the head are not floating around as an incitement to additional violence or as a propaganda tool. That's not who we are. We don't trot out this stuff as trophies." - Jay Carney, White House Press Secretary
"There's no doubt they got him. And let's not have conspiracy theories develop. From what I have heard of the pictures, they are not ghoulish. They're not going to scare people off. They're not offensive." - Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.)
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
- What is a conspiracy theory?
- Who was the leader of the organization behind the 9/11 attacks, and what happened to him this week?
- What is a document release? How does it work?
FOCUS QUESTIONS
- Do you think the photos of bin Laden should be made public? Why or why not?
- Why could making the photos public be a national security risk? What does Rep. Mike Rogers mean when he says their release could put American troops in danger?
- Do you think the past photo releases mentioned in this video, such as those of Saddam Hussein's sons and the Abu Ghraib prison photos, were good ideas? Why or why not?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Click this link to download the video for this news story.
Check out this News Hour story that reports when President Obama first announced Osama bin Laden's death.
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