call me crazy, but a non-violent protest that directly relates to the abuses in our military prison systems which even the military is now repeatedly stating as being excessive...

Looks like a valid protest to me - and why shouldn't the 'msm' photograph it?

I mean, photogs are people trying to earn a buck, too, and of course the more sensational the image, the more likely a bigger buck.

Besides, the whole 'impugn the media that doesn't support my side' bit is already old, stale, boring, and weak.

Everyone's biased. Not one person is objective.

Duh.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of actual news stories do not support a specific side - either or...they do, however, go after the ratings and bucks.

Duh, again.

Neither CNN nor Fox, nor even MSNBC are true 'news' channels, as there is too much commentary and punditry involved - commentary and punditry are not news.

I suppose the sad part is that people actually work so hard to believe that either the 'other side's' news is "against them" or that their side's news is "for them". They're both just shooting for the lowest common denominator to get and keep viewers.

Again, duh.

Why, oh why does anyone take the news media any more seriously than they should take MTV, the non-music channel, which opened yet another music channel "where the music is"n't.

By taking any side in the whole conservative vs. liberal media debate, one just falls into line with that old partisan blather which serves nothing.

As a photographer, don't you at some point look around and go, "Hmmmm...this might be a staged photo op..."

Do you so readily chuck your objectivity and integrity for the quick buck?

If so, you are no longer a journalist, but just another paprazzi hack.

IMHO.

Journalist and photographer - not always going to be the same thing.

Photographer's job - sell pictures/take pictures their employer can use. Find the best object and shoot it.

Not Photographer's job - decide if the object of interest represents any specific ideological agenda - even their own.

And they don't and shouldn't care if someone is staging a photo op - does that mean no one should ever photograph the president?