Case Study 4

If I were the news editor of a newspaper, I would publish the gruesome photographs from Fallujah, Iraq. I believe that it is our job as journalists to show and tell the absolute truth, even when it is sensitive. If we do not show the situation as it is, then who will? People need to be aware of the realities of war. Technology offers a way to prove that we are honest in our reporting. Why wouldn’t we take advantage of it?

I think that I would run the photograph regardless of the sex, age, nationality or occupation of the depicted bodies. The photograph tells a story of war. People have a right to know what is going on in Iraq. I would include the photograph even if the charred bodies could be recognized as human forms. There is no need to distort the truth of war.

However, if a face were recognizable, I would consider not running the photo. Most newspaper’s codes of ethics state that journalists must be sensitive to the families of the deceased. It would be disrespectful to the families of those involved to show a human face if it is recognizable. In this case, I would consider cropping the human face or possibly blurring it out and including an explanation in an editor’s note.

I would also consider not running the photograph if the bodies were naked in an obscene manner, especially if any genitals were exposed. I would, however, inform the readers that the photograph exists.

The biggest concern I would have with running this photograph is that it might be impressionable to innocent children who stumble upon it. For this reason, I would not run the photograph on the first page of the newspaper. I would also include an editor’s note to warn the reader about the photograph and to explain why it did not run in the front page. I would provide a caption under the image explaining the news judgments made and the ethical dilemmas faced in the editorial decisions. The newspapers need to be unbiased and transparent, and editor’s notes are a great way to help citizens understand thought processes and to expose them to the absolute truth.

In regards to altering the image, I would only crop or blur if a face was identifiable and if the change would not distort the truth in any way.

I would not hesitate to run it on a news website because people have a choice to click on a link if they want to see the image. On television, however, I would be cautious because there is no way to warn the viewers and children might be watching.

Knowing the truth can help citizens make informed decisions for or against the war. I think that publishing the image might increase the newspaper’s credibility, especially if the proper editor’s notes accompany it. The publication might be accused of political bias, but this is an inevitable every time a controversial story is published. It is a risk that news outlets must take in exchange for providing the truth.