tbh i think it's better to see what's going on rather than being censored by the government or however it is regulated.
they always warn of graphic footage or images, if you dont like it then you dont have to watch.
i dont think it's changed much, but i think things get shown more because of modern technology captures more things, war has always been shown but the BBC, and a lot has been shown of the conflict in Iraq, especially the stuff mentioned in the first post like IED's and roadside bombs. i guess you just dont watch the news much BB?
other examples are when the hurricane was in the US, they showed dead bodies on the streets and flood, and the Tsunami earlier in the year, they showed a lot of stuff then.