Pulitzer Prize photos are up

The blog Riding Sun breaks down the Breaking News Photography winners by category here. An exerpt:

• U.S. troops injured, dead, or mourning: 3
(2, 3, 11)
• Iraqi civillians harmed by the war: 7
(4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 13, 18)
• Insurgents looking determined or deadly: 3
(6, 15, 20)
• US troops looking overwhelmed or uncertain: 3
(7, 12, 14)
• US troops controlling Iraqi prisoners: 2
(16, 17)
• Iraqis celebrating attacks on US forces: 2
(1, 19)

Equally telling is what the photos don't show:

• US forces looking heroic: 0
• US forces helping Iraqi civillians: 0
• Iraqis expressing support for US forces: 0
• Iraqis expressing opposition to insurgents: 0

The war in Iraq quickly transformed from a conventional war, with Saddam's forces on one side and US (and allied forces, especially the Brits) on the other, into an insurgency or guerilla war. On one side of this war were:
Islamists,
Iraqi patriots who considered the US an occupier rather than a liberator, and
Baathists looking to regain power,
with the US, various allies, and a mix of Iraqi forces on the other side.

Every single one of the photos listed above either celebrates the insurgents, demeans US forces, or persuades patriotic Iraqis that the US is an occupier rather than a liberator. Notice, above all, that there is not a SINGLE photo of an Iraqi with purple fingers in that list. (FYI this may be because of the time frame- I'm not sure- having said that, the point still stands.)

The choice of photos reflects a value system, obviously, but that's not the scary part. The lack of (what's the word, diveristy?) diversity should be a little alarming, not for conservatives (who gave up on the AP long ago) but for liberals who trust the AP. Che Guevera, the casual murdering tool of totalitarian thugs, is hailed as a hero in the US, because of this kind of reporting. Consider, if you still believe the war in Iraq is an utter failure, and that the US is an occupier rather than a liberator, and that there is something romantic or noble about the insurgency- consider the source of these beliefs. If you believe the MSM is fair and balanced, or skewed to the right, or towards being pro-war (!?!) Riding Sun's analysis should give pause.