Pentagon Sought to Stop Paper From Using Photos -- New York Times
The grisly photographs of American soldiers posing with the body parts of Afghan insurgents during a 2010 deployment in Afghanistan were the source of a dispute between The Los Angeles Times and the Pentagon lasting weeks.
Two of the 18 photographs given to the paper were published Wednesday by The Times over fierce objections by military officials who said that the photographs could incite violence. The officials had asked The Times not to publish any of the photographs, a fact that the defense secretary, Leon E. Panetta, reiterated on Wednesday as the images spread across the Internet.
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My Comment: The White House has also expressed its disapproval that the L.A. Times decided to publish photos 'two years after the incident', while media reaction has so far been mixed. As for the L.A. Times themselves, their explanation on why they decide to publish these photos is here.
What's my take .... the L.A. Times needs publicity and readers ... and they got it with this publication. Therefore .... their decision to publish thee photos does not surprise me .... they are who they are. What I am actually focusing on is the following .... How will leaked photos impact U.S. mission in Afghanistan?