In an effort to promote transparency and open government, President Barack Obama has lifted an 18-year ban that prohibited media coverage of the War Dead ceremony in Dover, DE. Although it may sound like a complete violation of privacy, the lift is essentially beneficial because it will not only enable family members to make a choice regarding the matter, but will also unveil the cost of war to the public.

The ban was initially imposed by the George H. W. Bush administration during the Gulf War in February 1991 in an attempt to shield grieving families from further torment. Although that reason alone may seem to justify the implementation of the ban, there was another underlying cause that was far less legitimate.

In 1989, controversy sparked when several television stations projected split-screen images showing Bush joking around on one side, and a military honor guard unloading coffins on another. Embarrassed about the unfortunate turn of events, Bush asked the television networks to forewarn him the next time a split screen was used. When they declined, he simply banned media coverage of the war dead altogether. The ban was unnecessary to begin with as it had practically nothing to do with the ceremony itself, and it simply pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes by shielding them from the cost of war.

By forbidding the public to view images and videos of the war dead ceremonies held in Dover, the government hides the negative side of the war, which, in turn, downplays the cost of war in the public’s eye. Media coverage of the adverse effects of the war is limited enough as is, and it seems as though there are more commercials advocating the inexpensive education associated with joining the army than there are photographs of casualties and death tolls. When people are not exposed to the dangers associated with war, they feel more and more unaffected by it, and media coverage of the ceremony would remind the public that the cost of war is, in fact, a high price to pay.

Critics point out that the ban allows family members to honor the lives of their loved ones in a private fashion, sans media coverage, and that lifting it would strip them of that right. The new measure wouldn’t turn the ceremony into a paparazzi fest, however, but rather allow the war dead to receive more world-wide recognition for their achievements than they would otherwise. Families are also given a choice regarding the amount of media coverage that they want present, and can make the matter as private as they desire. Some may accuse the act of stripping families of their right to privacy, but in reality, it provides them with more rights, as they are given the option to make a choice that they had absolutely no say in before.

Obama made a good decision by allowing the cost of war to be seen not only on the battlefield, but also in American homes. Sweeping things under the rug may be the easy way out, but after all, honesty is the best policy.