Can a picture be worth too many words?

There are times when pictures can pose more of a controversy than a written story. This has become especially true with the war in Iraq. Since there is not a set of rules stating what images are appropriate and which are not, it is all varied. This is when the Pentagon tries to set the rules. In the article "Which words is a war photo worth? -Journalists must meet the standard" posted by Barbara Zelizer, this very problem is discussed. She talks about when it is apprpriate to use war photos. "The images of the war in Iraq have drawn a sustained degree of public attention, as pundits, military and government officials, journalists and members of the public have debated the very issue of image display -- whether to show an image, where to show an image, and how to show an image."
Zelizer discusses these very issues and looks at who should be responsible for making the execuitve decision. A primary discussion point for the time being is the discussion over the value, or lack thereof, for those involved in the war and their families. She gave points on both sides of the argument when thinking about the betterment of those involved as well as the impact the images have had (such as times when documentation was not allowed and when the images arrose after the wartime, it gave people an idea of what it was like and supplied them with a visual they would have otherwise not had). The images were contributors to understanding historical war periods, such as the First Gulf War.
In the closing of her post, Zelizer summed up the argument best by stating; "when assessing the appropriateness of an image or the relevance of its display, we should ask which words an image stands for in times of war. For it may be that only those words that are big enough, bold enough, and direct enough can correct the nearsightedness with which images of war are displayed and consumed."
I agree with her completely, the journalists themselves should be responsible. A journalist should evaluate whether the picture will be effective in a positive or negative light. They need to ask themselves the questions and make the execuitve decision rather than allowing the government to do so as they might want to hide things that should be shown. Images help to give a visual but I agree that we need to have one eet of standards, set by journalists themselves, so there is no confusion or controversy.