Can a Photo Change the World?
What’s not seen in within the frame? Errol Morris, director of Fog of War is releasing a new film on April 25th. Standard Operating Procedure sets out to examine the context of the disturbing (clearly an understatement) Abu Ghraib photographs taken by prison soldiers.Historically, during wartime photography has been used to shape people’s perceptions about war, patriotism, and nationalism. And it’s been done quite effectively…think Jane Fonda with the Viet Cong, the staged photo in Iwo Jima of the flag raising, and countless others. Paradoxically, the photos surfaced from Abu Ghraib arguably did not carry the weight of collective shame as a nation or military or government, but rather, the shame and blame of a few. 
“Is it possible for a photograph to change the world? Photographs taken by soldiers in Abu Ghraib prison changed the war in Iraq and changed America’s image of itself. Yet, a central mystery remains. Did the notorious Abu Ghraib photographs constitute evidence of systematic abuse by the American military, or were they documenting the aberrant behavior of a few “bad apples”…In recent news reports, we have learned about the destruction of the Abu Zubaydah interrogation tapes. A coverup. It has been front page news. But the coverup at Abu Ghraib involved thousands of prisoners and hundreds of soldiers. We are still learning about the extent of it. ”Check out the trailer [vodpod id=ExternalVideo.488342&w=425&h=350&fv=] posted with vodpod