One in Four Uses Net to Seek News Traditional Media Doesn't Cover

Jonathan Dube, writing on cyberjournalist.net reports that Americans are routinely bypassing traditional media and using the Internet to find news coverage and images they can't get from mainstream media.

The Pew Internet and American Life project reports that net users went online for gruesome or horrific images of the Iraq war. While 28% -- more than 30 million people -- of respondents sought out the images, 49% said they disapprove of posting such images.

Why are these images so fascinating? I was among those who looked for images from the prison torture. I wanted to know if it really was true. And, oh boy, was it ever.

Dube says that sites should force the viewer to click through a disclaimer so they are actively deciding the look at the images.

That puts them more into the category of porn. And isn't that what they are?