Journalists can not let the First Amendment be disregarded again.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's request not to take photos of dead hurricane victims cripples journalists' duty to accurately document what is happening in the affected areas.

Supporters of this restriction feel photos should be banned out of respect for the dead.

Respect for the dead?

It's understandable, but it just feels like FEMA doesn't want people to see vivid images of these catastrophic scenes because they don't want people to get mad.

It's fishy that there is now a controversy surrounding Hurricane Katrina victim photos. There was already a similar controversy as to whether or not the coffins of the victims of conflicts in Iraq should be shown.

It's reasonable if FEMA wants to prevent journalists from tagging along with rescue boats in order to take pictures. However, if someone wants to find a boat themselves and independently document what they see, there should be no controversy.

Sure, the argument still stands that photos of tragic events can be sensationalized and dabbling in such sensitive topics is risky. But the goal of any ethical and respectable publication is not to shock and disturb as many people as possible, but to provide dependable and correct information to those who want and need it.

There is no one definitive way to present and represent the devastation that occurred because of the hurricane.

The issue is anything but black and white and individual publications should be allowed to decide on a case-by-case basis whether to include photos of dead hurricane victims.

Pictures of the dead are not easy to look at; they remind us of the fragility of life. But it's a part of life, an important part for journalists to cover.

Photos keep the issue fresh and should be moving. Words are powerful, but they can only do so much.

Like so many issues in our society, pictures like these are not pretty, but they are important.