The UnVarnished Truth???

Anderson Cooper believes that it dishonors our soldiers to treat their death like statistical numbers and that people need to know what our soldiers go through.

Of course, we also understood that some might conclude there is a public relations benefit for the insurgents if we aired the material, especially on CNN International.

Whether or not you agree with us in this case, our goal, as always, is to present the unvarnished truth as best we can.

Some MIGHT conclude that there is a PR benefit for the terrorists? MIGHT? There's no maybe about this...CNN has yet again proven itself to be the PR agency of record for our enemies.

CNN remains unendlingly biased against our troops, their efforts and their many successes in Iraq.

The Unvarnished Truth................puhllleeeze........... who does Anderson Cooper think he is - Michael Yon??

These comments were posted on Anderson Cooper's Blog at CNN online. These voices are the closest CNN comes to presenting the "unvarnished truth"

I'm an officer in the US Army Infantry, recently returned from a year in Iraq, who lost a soldier to a sniper attack. I don't care about CNN's politics, but I do take issue with your integrity. In what possible way is a self-described propaganda video made by an insurgent group "the unvarnished truth?" The CNN report even states that this group wants to wage a PR camapign aimed at the American public. I'm quite sure that CNN would never run such blatant, screaming propaganda if it had instead originated with the Bush Administration.

Even a video as graphic as this can never even remotely bring home the true reality of combat to those who have never seen it. CNN staffers who have been in combat situations should know that. This is nothing more than a vulgar ratings grab, at best. I hesitate to say what it could be at worst...

Posted By Chris Bowers, Ft Benning, GA : 8:32 PM E

"Whether or not you agree with us in this case, our goal, as always, is to present the unvarnished truth as best we can."

This ending of your story is the biggest outrage of all. It's clear what your 'mission' is in your broadcasting and it rarely has any relation to truth or facts. This sort of coverage does nothing but embolden the enemy. It's of no value to those of us here at home and certainly of no value to those of us who have loved ones serving in Iraq. My husband is also a sniper and he's outraged as I am that you have the nerve to give such headlining time to the enemy, especially this particular faction.

Posted By Stacy San Diego CA : 6:03 PM ET

I'm a U.S. Marine, so those reading should hear me out. All your ridiculous network airs is the negative side of what our forces are experiencing. Of course, we are getting shot at, wounded and killed... it's a war. I've personally escorted home the remains of three of my Marine brothers who died on the battlefield of Iraq. The American public should certainly understand what we are going through over there, but more importantly, they should see the positive side of what we're accomplishing, which far outweighs the negative. Why does your network not air footage of award ceremonies where our brave warriors receive Purple Hearts, Navy Crosses, Silver Stars, Bronze Stars, and Air Medals? Why are there not spectacular stories all over your front page about courage in battle, motivation in the face of adversity, and plain old tear-in-your-eye stories of young American Patriots who our forefathers would be proud of? There are more important things than personal safety...Honor, Courage, and Committment to the trust our citizens place in us. We don't want your sympathy; we want your support. Your network should be using it's power to make people stand behind us with steel-like resolve vice turning our entire society into a nation of cowards. Stand up, be proud to be an American, and take your kid to see your local military recruiter. Teach them that character, values, and dedication to a higher purpose are more important than who has the coolest car, newest video game or biggest paycheck. CNN needs to stop being an agent for enemy and start supporting the home team.

Posted By Tim , Woodbridge, VA : 5:52 PM ET

On any day in Irag, your film crews can record horrific scenes of violence: mangled bodies and children screaming with pain at bombing sites, the blood and gore of the military and civilian emergency rooms, the mutilated bodies of terrorist torture victims. But for whatever reason, you generally refrain from showing this part of the "unvarnished truth," which would drive home the reality of the war much more strongly than the sniper videos. So it is simply wrong and misleadingly to suggest that it was necesary to show these tapes to make a unique point about the violence in Iraq. (You could film the hundreds of coffins coming home to America if you want to emphasize the cost of American lives.)

You should have refrained from showing these videos because of the source. Whatever your views on the war and the President's policies, I cannot conceive of any legitimate reason for showing a video provided to you by people who are killing our troops. Did you ever consider that the motivation for the shootings you showed was to get media attention, i.e., the terrorists decided to film a sniper attack and give it the U.S. media to see if they could get it played on nation-wide television? Do you think that playing the tape lessened or increased the risk of additional attacks on U.S. troops perpetrated by terrorists seeking more media coverage?

I strongly oppose this war, but showing the video was a grave mistake and demonstrates a misguided sense of your journalistic responsibilities.
Posted By Joe Wayland, New York, NY : 5:51 PM ET

You people make me sick.
I spent a year of my life in Iraq and my brother is currently in Afghanistan. All you have accomplished is to make our jobs more difficult. I am so upset and angry that I really don't know what to say. CNN should be very ashamed of their actions and shouldn't even have the privilege of calling themselves Americans.

Posted By John, Tahlequah, OK : 5:41 PM ET

My brother, a Marine 1st Lt., recently left for deployemt to Fallujah for the next 6-7 months. Watching the news of American casualties has become an intensely personal activity for me. Showing this "interview" only reinforces my belief that CNN's political agenda has become the forefront of their programming. What I'd like to know is why, of all the footage of this war that I have seen, is it only containing actions detrimental to our own troops? Are our U.S. soldiers and Marines not our neighbors, friends, family, citizens? Aren't they on our side - our team? Why then do we not bolster our efforts in this fight by showing similiar scenes inflicted by our own troops against our enemies the terrorists? This is absolutely crazy that an American network would show this kind of footage without also showing OUR successes - on the battlefield as well as our humanitarian efforts?

Posted By Ed Childers - Nashville, TN : 4:21 PM ET

This helped the insurgents, terrorists, and thugs we are fighting. If it weren't for you their propaganda film would have stayed in the dark corners of the Internet where it should stay. Instead they got free publicity. Wake up CNN. The nation whose privileges you enjoy is at war.

Posted By Jim, Bloomingdale, IL : 4:15 PM ET

One person from the MSM gets it:

I have spent 43 years as a print journalist and the sensational spewings that we call "television journalism" never cease to amaze me. I have dealt with the issue of "whether to publish" countless times and I know this: At any time, any network, any media could jerk coverage up a notch by presenting violent images of the war in Iraq and then back them with a holier-than-thou argument. Since when does CNN consider itself the military patriarch whose job it is to show the American public about the graphic violence of war? Excuse me, Vietnam? I don't like being considered a simpleton by a collection of news-gatherers with cameras and microphones hell-bent on giving Americans what it considers a good lesson in what we're facing in Iraq. I got it, guys. CNN says the tape fit its criteria for newsworthiness. Did someone at any time during that so-called "intense" debate ask the question: "Whose kids are these?" Scaring the hell out of the family of every soldier in Iraq isn't journalism. It's that old oxymoron "TV news."

Posted By Larry Hudson Collierville, Tenn. : 3:44 PM ET

Good job bringing the realities of war home to the American public. You have just helped to defeat what myself and other US soldiers fight for. We fight overseas so the war does not come to our nation, and we try to protect our nation from these horrors. You bring them into the living room of the households across the nation. As I look at going back overseas to fight again for the 3rd time, I thank you for bringing those images to my fiance, and family. I'm sure it helps them to rest easier. Thanks again for bringing them the images I fight to keep from them.

Posted By CPL Barrett, Portland, OR : 3:37 PM ET

You were just preaching to your choir with that video. What you showed was the reality of war, kind of like showing a cop getting shot by a criminal. Keep on praying that the terrorists will win, and maybe it will happen. That terrorist propaganda video will reinforce the anti-war crowd's belief that "people get killed in war" and that the US should "withdraw immediately", which is the message the terrorists are trying to propogate (apparently successfully).

Posted By Matt, Bellevue, WA : 3:36 PM ET

One Question: Would CNN have aired a video of Anderson Cooper, Larry King, or any other CNN employee being murdered by a sniper in Iraq? I highly doubt it.

Posted By Braden Rudolph, Chicago IL : 3:19 PM ET

As an United States Army veteran I am outraged that these videos are being shown on your network. In no way should the deaths of these brave men be shown to the entire world. Yes, these videos are readily available on the internet but you are making them even more accessable though a supposed "trusted" source. You should be ashamed of yourselves for this! Would you like to see your own children shot on television? I also can't help to wonder about the timing of this story in conjunction to our comming elections. So much for unbiased reporting!!!

Posted By Jonathan, Gonzales, Louisiana : 3:19 PM ET