Yesterday I explained, simply, why the Berg story in no way negates the Abu Ghraib story.

In a similar vein, Mark Kleiman explains . . . very slowly so everyone can keep up . . . why the press is paying more attention to Abu Ghraib than to the Berg beheading. Just in case any law professors in Knoxville with blogs have any questions.

Also, Oliver Willis makes a point about the that law professor and his assertion that internet searches for Nick Berg have bearing on the relevance of news stories:

People are looking for this video for the same reason they slow down at a traffic accident, the same reason people kept searching for the Janet Jackson boob video, and the same reason those Girls Gone Wild videos sell like crazy.

It's voyeurism, pure and simple. Yes, there is outrage when people see the video, but people want to see it because it's a version of splatter porn. I wish that weren't the case, but it is.

Ind-izz-eed.