[litbrit speaking]

Journalists covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are there becausethey believe the ends–getting the story and the images out there,telling the truth–justify the means, which is to say, putting theirown lives in grave danger by even being in country. Imagine the angerand disappointment a reporter or photographer feels when a story isburied (or even axed completely) for reasons beyond his or her control(see Logan, Lara; CBS) or a series of important images are deleted or destroyed–which is exactly what happened to news photographers Sunday after they documented the gun battle after a suicide bombing:

Journalists working for AP said US troops erased images of a vehicle in which three people had been shot dead.

The US military said it could not confirm its troops had seized any film.

Afghans who were wounded in the attack say American soldiers opened fire
on civilian cars and pedestrians on a busy highway. As many as 16
people died, though it is unclear whether the bullets that killed them
came from Americans or militants (or both).

Ezra Klein is a former Prospect writer and current editor-in-chief at Vox. His work has appeared in the LA Times, The Guardian, The Washington Monthly, The New Republic, Slate, and The Columbia Journalism Review. He’s been a commentator on MSNBC, CNN, NPR, and more.