Standard Operating Procedure

After watching Errol Morris’ new documentary about Abu Graib last night, I couldn’t help but remember the famous quote “a picture is worth a thousand words”.  Whether you believe that the soldiers involved in this scandal were truly guilty, or were simply scapegoats in a complex system, the movie is a must see for it’s viewpoint on the events that made history.

The director makes an argument that is both compelling and controversial, and at the root of it all is his assertion that the photographs don’t tell us the whole story.  The Abu Graib story was edited by editing the photographs… the cropping of the frame, the selection of the photos, and the time and place the photos were taken.

This movie certainly proves a point about the validity of photography and how photos relate to real life events… media literacy in practice.