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April 14, 2004
Fallujah Photos Provoke Readers and Editors
Survey opens dialog between the two
By Phil Shook, special to Newsdesk.org
Due to staff and budget limitations, Newsdesk.org was unable to participate in this latest Associated Press Managing Editors survey. We have done so previously, and will offer the opportunity again throughout 2004.
America’s editors say they faced tough calls on how to handle photographs of gruesome killings in Fallujah, Iraq.
Thousands of American readers, asked for their views by hometown news organizations, helped illustrate that difficulty.
Many readers supported displaying the photographs prominently; some said the images brought home the true nature of war and others said they showed the savagery of America’s adversaries.
Others were outraged at publishing the photos at all.
Readers’ divided responses to the images emerged when 29 news organizations across the country e-mailed 13,642 readers beginning Friday, April 2. They asked about a particular photo, which showed Iraqis cheering as the burned, mutilated bodies of two Americans hung from a bridge.
By the following Thursday, 2,009 readers had responded. Of these, 58 percent approved of the image being published in a newspaper or on a Web site; 39 percent objected to using the picture.
“I would run the photo,” said Ray Lottie of Hawley, Minn. “The important thing is to give readers a sense of the brutality of the enemy we face in Iraq.”
“Hiding ourselves from the truth, as awful as it may be, is not in our best interest as a country,” said Jeanine Carson of Brunswick, Ga.
“As much as I dislike seeing things of this nature, I think it very important to demonstrate what we are really up against,” said Tracy Frazier of Ballston Spa, N.Y.
A number of readers voiced opinions just as strongly against the decision to display the photos on the front pages of the nation’s newspapers.
“I would not run a gruesome, horrific photo that illustrates man’s inhumanity to man in such graphic detail,” said Nancy Lookabaugh of Queens, N.Y.
“I would not run the photo. It is enough to know that terrible things are happening all over the world,” said Trisa Chancy of Kingsland, Ga.
“It seems to be more sensationalism than news,” wrote Douglas Underhill, of Jacksonville, Fla.
In several cases readers said they could not participate in the survey because they did not want to see the photographs under any conditions.
“I want to express my outrage at being subjected to graphic images at every opportunity,” said Joey Shankman of Newman Lake, Wash. “I will add my voice to those crying for some moderation in the images we are bombarded with today. What chance do my grandchildren have to edit such images from their lives; they cannot turn away.”
Some readers thought running the photo would rally support for the U.S. military’s presence in Iraq, while others saw it as making the case for not being there.
“A lot of Americans do not understand why the military is in Iraq, and I think this helps explain the necessity,” wrote Candice Tolman of Honolulu, Hawaii.
“The pictures should appear on the front page of every newspaper in the United States,” said Charles Cavenaugh of Bend, Ore. “A large number of people are supporting George’s Bush’s war; let them see the results!”
“We need to see the reality of war to make an informed choice about why we are at war and whether we should continue,” said Michelle Brady.
Editors at news organizations participating in the on-line survey said their decision on how to handle the photographs did not come without much reflection and spirited debate.
Chris Peck, editor of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, said Memphis community standards as well as professional journalism ethics guidelines were considered in making the decision.
Peck said he decided to run one of the photographs on the front page along with a warning about the graphic nature of a second photo that ran inside.
“I felt the truth of the photos needed to be shown to our readers,” Peck said. “At the same time, I believe strongly that newspapers need to both explain their decisions and give readers some options about content.”
The effort to ask readers about newspaper coverage of world events is part of the Associated Press Managing Editors (APME) National Credibility Roundtables Project.
One of the project’s goals is to encourage editors to include voices of the public in conversations about news coverage and journalistic issues. The e-mail queries are not a scientific poll.
Ken Sands, managing editor of The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Wash., and chief architect of the reader e-mail project, said people felt strongly about the Fallujah photos, and a higher than average response to the questions reflects that.
Sands said it is important for media to consult with readers on issues like this, and not just as an afterthought.
“I'd like to get to the point where we can consult with readers on deadline on breaking stories to get a sense of whether we're thinking clearly and whether we're in tune with the sensibilities of our readers," he said. "In fact, the results of this survey surprised me. I thought that a lot more people would oppose us running that photo. Knowing that ahead of time, while we were still having an internal discussion, would have been helpful."
Carol Nunnelley, director of APME’s National Credibility Roundtables, said: “The response underscores that if editors think it was a tough decision, they had a lot of company and probably some understanding. This may not be what you would hear if you simply wait for angry phone calls after you make a decision. That’s why it is important not to just listen to people who seek you out but also to seek out a fuller spectrum of the public.”
Readers of the following 27 newspapers and two Web sites took part in the survey:
Globe Gazette, Mason City, Iowa
Memphis, Tenn., Commercial Appeal
Bakersfield Californian
Spokane Spokesman-Review
Carroll County Times, Maryland
Nashua Telegraph, New Hampshire
Greeley Tribune, Colorado
Newport, Rhode Island
Southbridge Evening News, Massachusetts
Youngstown Vindicator, Ohio
Fargo Forum, North Dakota
Idaho Statesman, Boise, Idaho
Post-Crescent, Appleton, Wisconsin
Beaufort Gazette, South Carolina
Louisville Courier-Journal, Kentucky
Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville, Florida
Wenatchee World, Washington
Arizona Daily Star, Tucson
News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash.
Manhattan Mercury, Kansas
Janesville Gazette, Wisconsin
Lakeland Ledger, Florida
Lincoln Journal Star, Nebraska
Bend Bulletin, Oregon
Augusta Chronicle, Georgia
Bristol Herald Courier, Virginia
Rock Hill, South Carolina
Register-Star, Rockford, Illinois -- Web site
VillageSoup.com, Camden, Maine -- Web site
Phil Shook is a freelance writer based in New York.
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