Change

A Coffin, a Flag, a Photograph by the NY Times.

Yes, the advent of the Obama Administration has brought great changes to America. Now, in a dramatic step, coffins of the people who die in our wars can once again be photographed. Ah yes, the world is indeed a different place.

The bad news is that there are still plane loads of coffins arriving back in the country. Real change of course would be to end these wars, and thus end the opportunity to photograph coffins at all.

See also Media Can Now Cover Coffins Coming Home -- But What About the OTHER Missing War Photos? by Greg Mitchell at Editor and Publisher magazine.

For whatever reason, the media in the U.S., in the weeks and then years after that rarely showed the full face of war, despite the brave and remarkable efforts, and wishes, of countless press photographers and cameramen. Bloody scenes, featuring Americans, almost never made the U.S. media, while being widely shown abroad, and on the Web. When they did appear, protests from the government or readers seemed to set the media off this path. Dead Iraqis got more play, but not nearly to the extent called for.