Readers say some photos not fit to print

Some months back, The Telegraph published a photo of an accident scene in which a teen was killed. The photo showed sheriff and other emergency personnel on the scene. The car was upside down near the pole it had hit.

Initially I didn’t notice the teen’s body on the ground covered by a sheet, nor did a number of others who saw the photo.

But the teen’s mother noticed. And she was furious. To her, the picture was disrespectful. She was in great distress, and publication of the photo added to the tragedy, she said.

The Telegraph also caught heat when it photographed a picture of a boy who had just walked upon a scene of a murder-suicide involving his parents. That picture didn't show the boy’s face, but there was no mistaking his grief. More recently, family members complained we were insensitive when we published a photo taken at the scene of a fatal accident at a local workplace. Again, the photo showed a covered body.

Over the years, we’ve had to make tough calls regarding publication of photos. We sometimes decide to publish recognizing our decision might bring complaints. Often, though, the photos that create the most furor are ones we least expect.

Photo chief Woody Marshall, after hearing me pontificate about being sensitive to readers and families, pulled out a number of pictures we have published, none of which brought a complaint: workers removing a body from a lake, a bag of human bones from an overgrown field.

These are news photos, he argues, adding that we second-guess ourselves only when someone, usually a family member, complains. Second-guessing is a poor substitute for setting guidelines and standards.

So what are our guidelines about publishing pictures of bodies or other potentially controversial content? We first consider the news value. Does the picture tell the story or help make what happened clearer to readers? It the photo powerful? Even if we believe a picture has high news value, that doesn’t mean we automatically will publish. Many newspapers, maybe most, declined to publish photos of people jumping from the World Trade Center towers. We didn’t publish pictures of a baby’s body being recovered after hours in a hot car.

But we don’t try to shield readers from everything that might make them uncomfortable.

There is no science to what we do, and we don’t always make the right call. But we don’t operate blindly. We try to ask good questions, solicit other views, and consider the consequences and impact.

Obama vs. Clinton: Did the Telegraph deliver?

What a difference a few hours makes.

With polls indicating that Barack Obama would easily win the New Hampshire primary, I left work early evening Tuesday, grabbed dinner, went home and took a nap. I awoke to the news that Hillary Clinton had edged out Obama. It was around 11:15.

Earlier in the day, editors had discussed how we would display the New Hampshire results. None of us expected a surprise, though one editor noted that the story would take on more significance if Hillary won. And because of the early Iowa results, we didn’t ask for later deadlines.

I don’t know how many people stayed up to watch the numbers come in. More importantly, if they did watch, I don’t know what they expected to see in their morning newspaper. With round-the-clock coverage on TV and on Web sites, by morning the "news" is not always the score; rather it is the analysis, the perspective, the "what's next." McClatchy's Washington bureau had budgeted such a story.

The New Hampshire results came in later than we expected. While that wasn't an issue for our Online Editor, who posted results at macon.com from home, it meant a scramble to make our press deadline. There was just enough time to get the breaking news story onto the page. There was no time to wait for the perspective piece, nor to process a photo of a wildly excited Clinton to pair with the pix of a victorious John McCain.

In this day of constant news, constant chatter, what do you expect in the way of political (and other national) coverage in the newspaper?

Telegraph news coverage in 2008

Among our goals is to monitor Macon’s new city government and write about promises made and kept -- or not. How will the new government find money to fund new initiatives, or provide pay raises for police and fire fighters as well as other personnel? Will our downtown continue to grow, and will more people feel safe whether downtown on in the neighborhoods where they live? Will Macon and Bibb County stop seeing a population drain to other counties?

We’ll also keep our eyes on how our schools are educating kids. What will be the impact of redistricting in Bibb schools? And, why, for instance, do so many students in Middle Georgia and throughout the state have trouble passing parts of the graduation test?

As Warner Robins continues to grow, how will the character of the city and Houston County change? How is growth being managed? What is the impact on areas such as Byron and Peach County?

During the last base realignment process, Robins Air Force Base seemed to fare pretty well, but there are stresses at Robins, among them an aging workforce. How are base officials and local leaders meeting the challenges? It is a story we’ve been diligently covering because of the potential impact on the base and the region.

These are some of the issues we will be writing about. What are your ideas? Send them my way: smarshall@macontel.com