By KIM GAMEL, The Associated PressPolice fired warning shots in the air at the scene of a double bombing Tuesday, enforcing an order banning news photographers and TV camera operators from filming the aftermath of deadly bombings.
The Iraqi government said it decided last weekend to keep photographers and camera crews away from blast sites to prevent them from damaging forensic evidence. Media groups feared the order was aimed at preventing scenes of horrific carnage from being broadcast around the world.
…Iraqi and U.S. authorities have frequently complained that the publicity surrounding car bombings and suicide attacks is jeopardizing their efforts to stop the violence, which has proven unrelenting as Sunni insurgents adopt new tactics to evade stepped-up security measures.
Reporters Without Borders expressed concern about the decision, saying it “feared that growing restrictions on the media could end in a total news blackout.”
(Original Article)