Withheld Facts

Kevin Brass rode a high horse in his Aug. 19 column (“The News Media Was Right to Ignore Pleas by Mayor”) defending the public’s right to know the names of victims and to see potentially inflammatory images. Though I don’t particularly respect the press’ relish for pandering to its readership’s voyeuristic need for all the lurid details of each and every “lead story,” I certainly defend journalism’s rights and even obligations.

My question now is where was Mr. Brass, indeed where was The Times, when America had a right to know the name of each and every victim of the Gulf War? The Times still today routinely speaks of the amazingly low cost of the destruction of Iraq. Though I will go on record as being appalled by the Iraqi regime, we can agree that America had the right to know--I should say needed to know--all the facts to better understand her own actions. Even today, as thousands of Iraqi children die of diarrhea as a result of the bombings, The Times withholds photos, to say nothing of the victims’ names.

I know that dying of diarrhea at age 2 is less sexy than being shot on the beach, but are we to understand that it is also less horrible?

RONALD ROBBOY

San Diego