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By Naomi Halperin
Director of Photography
The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa.
There are those who will say that American newspapers have increased their willingness to show readers disturbing war pictures - that somehow, the usual guidelines individual papers use when evaluating the publication of controversial images simply don't apply. Whenever you publish a disturbing image, such as those frequently seen in wars, it is a risk. But is that risk worth taking?

One image, seen in many newspapers including The Morning Call, appeared when violence erupted in Fallujah and four American contractors were killed. The image of the Iraqis celebrating in the foreground with two charred bodies hanging from a bridge in the background, enraged many of our readers. I personally answered more than 120 calls, e-mails and letters one with more colorful language than the next. The single letter that stands out in my mind was from a high school teacher who routinely brought the newspaper to her classroom to share with her students. She wrote:

"After viewing the photo of the American soldiers hanging on the bridge in Iraq, I will no longer be bringing my paper to school to use for the classroom. The students were very upset and they wanted to know the names of the soldiers because they have relatives serving in our military. They wanted to know why the newspaper would show our soldiers' charred bodies hanging there in such disrespect. I didn't have an answer for them or for my own children at home. As a teacher, I have been at many conferences where The Morning Call has encouraged the educators to use the newspaper in their classrooms, I will no longer be using The Morning Call in my classroom and maybe the paper should consider the effects that these kinds of photos have on our very impressionable children."

My first reaction was to consider that some of her students she wanted to protect were the very age of many of the soldiers fighting in Iraq.

I answered her letter the next day:

First of all, I want you to know that we really appreciate your feedback. Running a photo that we know will disturb folks is never an easy decision. It was a horrific event and that fact alone should outrage us as Americans. After careful consideration we decided not to hide the truth, as brutal as it was. The image, very reminiscent of the dead American soldier being dragged through the streets of Somalia, was too important for the editors here at The Morning Call to ignore. It is a powerful photo. I suspect this particular picture will prove to be a historical flashpoint image that helps define the Iraqi conflict and who we are as a people. Perhaps in the future, you as an educator might be compelled to look at these tragic events as an opportunity for discussion. By keeping the paper from your students, you close the only window of the world for a lot of kids so I hope you will reconsider bringing your paper to the classroom. I know that you and I will probably never agree on this subject but I respect your views and will take it to heart.

Let's face it, showing people a startling, graphic image is like hitting below-the-belt. They are not prepared and can get hurt. We have learned over the years that a person's reaction to it depends on a lot of things including who they are, how they live and whether they have children to protect.

Because readers can get hurt by disturbing images, deciding to use them is serious business. Papers should always have guidelines and meaningful conversations based on those guidelines should be had. When photographers are on the battlefront, you will have more of these powerful, disturbing images to consider for publication. Of the images we have the courage to publish, only history will tell which ones will become defining moments of truth. I don't believe newspapers should have blanket policies that would exclude certain types of photos without discussion.

Ruben Ramirez of the El Paso Times has a different perspective. His paper has a policy of not running any disturbing photos of soldiers. When the editors make photo decisions they are not only sensitive to the local reader base, but to Fort Bliss because of the number of soldiers stationed there. "The war hits home for us because the first prisoners of war were from Fort Bliss," he says.

The former Marine Sergeant says that he wouldn't want his family to see disturbing images from the war zone in Iraq. ''I think the coverage would be more hard-hitting if Fort Bliss wasn't in El Paso,'' he said.

Ken Irby, Visual Journalism Group Leader at the Poynter Institute, says he believes the integrity of a newspaper is built on how truthfully and accurately it provides information. "The world we live in is more dramatic and violent." He thinks decisions should be made to maximize truth-telling while minimizing harm. "The public has a right to witness these life experiences. News organizations that withhold compelling images, based on the breakfast test, is unacceptable." Irby believes when editors explain the decision-making process in print on the day of ublication, credibility is built and readers respond less negatively.

Generally, we don't fear publishing powerful narrative on our front pages. Still images are different. Vivid and burned into our consciousness, pictures make it all too real, too graphic and decidedly too violent. The best we as journalists can do is talk about them and deal with these images on a case-by-case basis. Having a per se "dead body" policy limits important dialog and our ability to accurately access and report the news. When managing controversial content some points to consider:

• Is it a good photo?
  
• Does it have news value?
  
• Is it relevant?
  
• Who will be affected by its publication?
  
• Are we journalistically responsible?
  
• Are we visually accurate?
  
• What are the positives and negatives of publication?
  
• What are the options?
  
• Will size, positioning or a headline change the message or impact of the image?
  
• Are we prepared for the reaction?
  

No one is suggesting that the process is or should be an easy one. When do we shield people from the truth? If there is any one consensus on this subject it is that we as journalists need to be sensitive to the emotions generated by the publication of these types of images. To not treat this duty with the respect and the consideration it deserves is a sin we cannot afford to commit. War time photos or not, the analysis should not change. There should be no shame in publishing controversial photos. The risk we run when we don't have the dialogue about publishing controversial photos could result in the loss of integrity and violation of the public trust.

Sometimes long-term gain must suffer short-term criticism. When you think of the picture of the female college student crying over the body of a fellow student shot dead by the Ohio State police at Kent State do you think about the public outrage over the publication of this image or do you consider this picture as a flashpoint for the anti-war protests on college campuses in the 1970s?

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