Opinion - News Analysis   

When news value overrides reader sensitivities

K. Narayanan

Has the publication of visuals come under your scanner at any point of time after your taking over as the Readers' Editor, asked Vasudevan Sundaram of Secunderabad a few months ago. It has, and it continues to. That is the part of the newspaper that catches the eye first ("Visuals are the primary medium to catch the attention of readers," as Mr. Vasudevan points out). And for a critical observer, whose primary love as a newspaper production man was the selection, editing, and display of photos, there is much to say on the way this vital part of the paper is dealt with.

Yet, I have hesitated to tread this area, for many reasons. The basics of photo use are understood and accepted by all — the technical quality required for newspaper reproduction. (With digital imaging, the technical aspect can be easily managed — and more, manipulated, doctored to achieve specific aims. Adnan Hajj's Lebanon pictures are too recent for this point to be amplified.) But beyond that comes a strong element of subjectivism: What appeals to me as a news picture may strike you as inapt.

Examples are aplenty. A few days ago, reader K. Gopakumar Menon of Mukkatukara, Thrissur, posed this query (which triggered this column): Why this prominence for Inzamam-ul-Haq with such a huge picture on Page 1? (September 28, 2006). Has his stature gone up to that level? Is it a prelude to the general erosion of priorities of this renowned and established paper? A similar question came some time earlier when a big picture of K. Natwar Singh, former External Affairs Minister, found place on Page 1. A few readers then asked: there was no breaking news; was it passive support to the ex-Minister?

One of the prime considerations in selecting a picture, especially for page 1 of a newspaper, is that it should have life, action, movement (including facial expression, gestures). Static portraits are suited for magazine covers. In Inzamam's case, there was a major news development that day, of a Test captain being found guilty of unsporting behaviour and being penalised, and his featuring on Page 1 was not unwarranted. In the case of Natwar Singh, it was justified as a stand-alone picture of a person in the news; there was no question of support as his actions had been editorially criticised. The use of such pictures boils down to editorial judgment.

* * *

Mr. Vasudevan's query came in the wake of a gruesome close-up video image of the blood spattered face of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi of Iraq that appeared on June 9, 2006, and of the picture, two days earlier, of the terrorists who attacked the RSS headquarters in Nagpur. These young bodies had wounds on the head, blood oozing. "I can understand any other newspaper/tabloid wishing to cash in on such `events.' But is it really necessary for a respected newspaper like The Hindu to publish such photos?" Mr. Vasudevan asked.

Referring to the type of pictures that appeared in the supplements (which according to him crossed the limits of decency, as expected of

The Hindu), the reader also raised the questions: Does the paper have a code for publishing photos? Are these visuals checked against a check-list/code compliance list or is it left to the experience or wisdom of the senior staff? "I would not bother to review visuals in any other media, because they do not measure up to the standards of this newspaper. But when I see slippages or changing trends in my esteemed newspaper, it leaves me deeply troubled," Mr. Vasudevan concluded.

These questions need consideration and deserve an answer. The revulsion that gruesome pictures produce in readers is a common experience. The al-Zarqawi picture in many American papers also produced such reactions from readers. This is a dilemma news-handlers always face. Where to draw the line in deciding between news value and possible adverse reader reaction? Harold Evans, once considered the last word on newspaper design, had this question: "Is the event it portrays of such social or historical significance that the shock is justified? Are the objectionable details necessary for a proper understanding of the subject?"

Such questions are passé when violence and gore are everyday events in large parts of the world, and yield graphic visuals. The pictorial value and the likely impact it can produce override considerations of displeasing some readers. In most such cases, there is discussion, argument over using the visual, involving the top rung of the editorial desk; the final decision is always that of the Editor-in-Chief, or in his absence the Editor.

* * *

Reader reactions lend force to my view that everyone has his or her own angle, perception and interpretation of pictures. Early in March 2006, a day after the Varanasi blasts, Page 1 of The Hindu carried a colour photo of a child victim in hospital. That produced an unexpected comment from Shriya Bubna, then a student at the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She said the picture served no purpose, unless the intention was to arouse indignation and anger, which was unnecessary. The photograph of the child in discomfort and pain would not have been taken had she been in a private hospital and was of an affluent background. I was surprised by the comment; to me, and I conveyed it to the young reader, it was a picture that evoked compassion, and revulsion against such mindless violence. And there was no intrusion into privacy or into prohibited areas. About her doubts on the caption catchline, which read "innocent victim," I said a victim was one who was hurt, and could also be the perpetrator of the crime. Here "innocent" was also to emphasise that the victim was a child.

In the case of the al-Zarqawi picture, it displaced the original selection of President Abdul Kalam's Sukhoi-30 MKI jet fighter flight. The replacement was a considered decision by the Editor-in-Chief taking into account the news value of this undoubtedly gruesome picture. The President's picture was a ground shot, and not taken while flying.

* * *

For a change, the paper had two happy pictures on two consecutive days some time ago — one of a beaming L.N. Mittal, steel tycoon, after he acquired Arcelor, and the second of England captain David Beckam's curling scoring shot in World Cup football. Reader J.M. Nesamoney (Chennai) was happy: "I was pleasantly surprised ... the world is filled with murders, violence ... when we take the morning paper, we don't want to see or read any gruesome news except if it is of national importance, and even then without any photographs which can be relegated to the later pages."

I should point out in this connection that the role or function of a newspaper cannot be to make readers "feel good" regardless of what happens around the nation or the world.

Readers have raised many points about photos. These and the process of handling photos also need to be considered.

readerseditor@thehindu.co.in

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