Dignity for the Deceased Imagine the media filming the recovery of your loved one's body. That is exactly what the media has accomplished in court. CNN won in court recently the right to film search and rescue teams recovering corpses from the region devastated by Katrina.

As if this disregard for human dignity was not upsetting enough, conservative news reporters like Cal Thomas have enthusiastically supported the media's right to film the recovery efforts. This assumed role of the media as the "Fourth Branch of Government" has gone too far. Americans have come to rely on the media to serve and protect them, rather than our goveernment. Perhaps this is because Americans have a consumer-based view of government rather than a participative.

How far is too far? If Americans continue to be desensitized to the horrific images of death that the media wishes to bring into our living rooms, what will we allow next?