'An Evil Thing to Do'
Sarah Palin lent her voice — via a Facebook note — to the controversy surrounding the Associated Press' decision to transmit a photograph that showed a mortally wounded 21-year-old Marine in his final moments of life. The father of Lance Corporal Joshua "Bernie" Bernard twice asked the AP not to publish the photo, taken by an embedded photographer. Defense Secretary Robert Gates also made the request on the behalf of the family. The AP decided to publish the image anyway, saying the image "conveys the grimness of war and the sacrifice of young men and women fighting it." Palin said she joined Secretary Gates in condemning the AP for its "heartless and selfish decision." She said publishing the photo purposely added to the family's pain and exploited the Marine's death. "The family said it didn't want the photo published. AP, you did it anyway, and you know it was an evil thing to do," Palin wrote.