Five videos. In this series of video clips from FOX News, we are reminded of not only the individual casualties of war, but also of the importance of visual propaganda.  But there is one slight problem – is the US military telling the truth about the death of Al-Zarqawi?

First there was “visual identification” of Al-Zarqawi’s body after two 500 pound bombs were precisely dropped with laser guidance.  Scars, tattoos, and fingerprints… but no DNA?

Then, plastic surgeons reconstructed Al-Zarqawi’s face?  Was there ever any corroborative evidence or additional eyewitnesses?

Then, FOX News obfuscates the most fundamental issues of legitimacy by focusing on tenets of the Geneva Convention, while maintaining that images are truthful, and vital for convincing our enemies.  Moreover, FOX utterly fails to consider how the very nature of TV constructs an endless spectacle parade of human images - dead and alive.  Can Al-Zarqawi’s face be any different?

Then, still more TV experts are enlisted by FOX to muddy the facts further by mentioning morticians, and that there might only be Al-Zarqawi’s head.

What’s the problem here?  Any high school student, proficient in Photoshop, could easily manipulate a grainy image of a dead, swollen, deformed face of an Iraqi soldier to resemble Al-Zarqawi's.  It is even easier to take an existing image of Al-Zarqawi and make it appear to be deceased and bloodied.

So then, couldn’t military experts do the same digital manipulation - particularly when its existance is so crucial to the US visual propaganda machine?  And conversely, hasn’t the entire world seen cinema and TV programming where identities are disguised this easily?  How can citizens from either side of this conflict believe this method of visual verification? Two months after Al-Zarqawi’s “capture”, does the public know any of the true facts?

Remember, images lie – just as easily as words do.

Consider visual literacy and grow better media communication.