Sudden Impact

"Words don't do it. The words that there were abuses; that it was cruel; that it was inhumane is one thing. You see the photographs, and you get a sense of it, and you cannot help but be outraged," said Donald Rumsfeld in his testimony Friday.

Initial reports, without the pictures, barely registered with the administration or the media. It wasn't until after the April 28th broadcast of "60 Minutes II" that the story really took off.

What do pictures communicate that words cannot? Does living in an open society mean that all the pictures should be shown on the front pages of America's newspapers? Are there valid reasons to stop showing them?

Click the "Listen" link to hear about the powerful impact of images.

Guests:

Carolyn Marvin, professor of communications at the University of Pennsylvania

James Fallows, national correspondent, The Atlantic Monthly.