Gruesome or controversial photographs add reality to a story that
might otherwise seem muted in grey text. They can also spark calls and
e-mails from upset readers.
Editors face tough
choices to balance the two.
In "Beyond Taste: Editing Truth,"
Kenny Irby used photographs of the March 11 train bombing in Madrid,
which killed 190 railway passengers and injured another 1,800, to
review options available for editors making these decisions.
The newspaper staff at H.H. Dow High School in Midland, Michigan faced similar issues when deciding whether or not to publish graphic photos of a shooting at the school.
Irby, who heads Poynter's visual journalism faculty, lists options available to editors facing controversial photographs:
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Use an alternative picture.
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Cropping is an age-old and accepted practice. This is very much like paraphrasing or adding an ellipsis in a sentence.
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Placement and size are major considerations. Must the picture be displayed on your cover and should it be published in black and white and not color?
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Selective toning and de-saturation are options. You can adjust the color and contrast in an isolated area.
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Blurring, black bars, and text can be placed in a selective manner.
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Distortion of the picture is another choice. That is, you can subtract and/or add editorial content within the frame of the photographic composition.
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Include written context to inform the viewer and reader about what they are seeing.
Captions, photo credits, content label, sidebar stories, and editor's
notes are great vehicles for sharing information and building
understanding.
Consider these options in your own decision-making when editing photographs.
-- Jacky Hicks
