Who Says It's Wrong to Put POWs on TV?

The Geneva Convention says prisoners of war should not be held open to public curiosity. At the time the conventions came into force, what was contemplated was parading prisoners through the streets, or holding them in places where the public could ridicule them. Given modern communication technology, simply showing them on television--not holding them out as prizes of war, not to ridicule them--would not really be a violation. We've done that. Our networks have shown Iraqi prisoners of war, and they have shown their faces.

But that was simply for informational purposes, not for public ridicule. If press coverage goes beyond that, where prisoners of war are allowed to be interviewed by foreign journalists while in captivity and scared and wounded, and that's all put on TV, it would seem to be a violation.

Prisoners of war, according to the Geneva Convention, are to be treated humanely. They are to be kept in a safe place, with adequate food and medical attention. They are not supposed to have to answer any question except name, rank, serial number and date of birth. To allow foreign journalists access to them for national TV consumption, yes, that would border on a violation. So it depends on how it's done.

Continued on page 2: »