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IPFS News Link • Afghanistan

They Had Names

• http://www.commondreams.org, by Abby Zimet
 

In the wake of the massacre in Afghanistan, there has been much media coverage of the shooter, and almost none of the victims. Al-Jazeera's Qais Azimy rescues them from anonymity, giving them, at least, their names:

"In the days following the rogue US soldier’s shooting spree in Kandahar, most of the media, us included, focused on the “backlash” and how it might further strain the relations with the US.

Many mainstream media outlets channelled a significant amount of energy into uncovering the slightest detail about the accused soldier – now identified as Staff Sergeant Robert Bales. We even know where his wife wanted to go for vacation, or what she said on her personal blog.

But the victims became a footnote, an anonymous footnote. Just the number 16. No one bothered to ask their ages, their hobbies, their aspirations. Worst of all, no one bothered to ask their names.


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