It's too gruesome and ridiculous to re-post, but a picture of Osama Bin Laden's bullet-ridden face is worthy of discussion for several reasons. First and foremost, we have entered an age where fiction and fact seem indistinguishable at times -- so much so that even the mainstream press has a hard time knowing what is real or just some fantasy.
Originally passed off as "news," [this image is graphic] a number of overseas wire services and broadcast channels fell for the hoax. The image is graphic and serves little purpose other that the vindictive need to satisfy our prurient desires. Pictures have always been manipulated for political and personal gain -- working with digital imagery just makes it all the easier. Anyone with a little experience and photo imaging software can belittle, beguile, and bewitch viewers to believe just about anything.
Images, real or imagined, are persuasive agents, which help to inform and entertain audiences. Media are tasked with the sometimes tedious job of authenticating an image's source before disseminating it as legitimate. In today's Photoshop universe pictures such as Bin Laden's mutilated mug are malicious cheap shots, no matter how horrific the subject. The ubiquitous nature of the Internet makes an indelible impression of us -- think about how a child might react to viewing such images. For some people, these sort of images are a form of pornography. They corrupt the imagination and assault our sensibilities. In an age of immediacy, the Media is often tempted to use such images with impunity. In the end, we all get duped.