He offered an alternative way the White House could “prove” bin Laden’s death without actually releasing the photos to the public: Have journalists view them, then report on them.

War is grisly, Stewart added. It’s not a video game. And, just maybe, it would be beneficial to have people fully realize just how harrowing war can be. Showing photos of bin Laden’s corpse – or of other, actually innocent casualties of war – can help bring the public to that realization.