As major events unfold, images captured by photojournalists provide a window for the rest of the world. Photos encapsulate a moment: in the case of tragedies, they can often be graphic, making picture editing and publishing a challenging task.

In April 2004, a photo by El Pais photographer, Pablo Torres Guerrero, was subject to much discussion. The picture documented the rescue workers aiding the victims of the Madrid train bombings after 13 backpack-loaded bombs were detonated, killing 190 people and injuring 1,800. Guerrero's photograph, distributed around the world by Reuters, was the subject of debate because the picture's foreground showed a human body part.

Editors approach such issues as 'taste' concerns – where questionable qualities or elements of the composition may potentially offend viewers or readers. Often, taste concerns are dealt with by editing the image. In this case, many newspapers chose to crop it, while others de-emphasized the impact by publishing the picture in black and white, and some kept the original image intact and published it without any editing.

Here is a breakdown of how different print media handled the situation and the reasons they gave for their decisions.

The Toronto Star

The Toronto Star digitally adjusted the color saturation so the body part wouldn’t appear as prominent. Neil Ballantyne, chief picture editor, said, "We do not alter pictures beyond the normal color darkroom technology in ways that may mislead readers." Don Sellar, ombudsman (a person who investigates complaints) for the newspaper, reported that the paper had not received "a single call or e-mail about the photo. Was I surprised that there were no reactions? Yes. I expected reaction. It is interesting to me that lately, readers have been less inclined to call and complain about gory pictures."

The New York Times

The New York Times cropped the photograph. Cecilia Bohan, foreign picture editor, explained, “We think that there isn't a difference between a local life and a foreign life. We draw the line at news value on the foreign desk. A bus crash with no political activity involved we would see as gratuitous. There was news value in showing the world the results of – the terrorist – a hit of this magnitude. I pretty much go from the gut, this is a tricky question and we should really talk about it more. This is a case-by-case decision, but we do talk about them.”

Time

Time magazine placed a title over the potentially offensive area. Time magazine picture editor, Mary Ann Golan, stated, "This was the best picture that we saw in terms of the scale and impact. You get a sense of the long focus and the – Oh my God! – how massive the impact and mayhem of the situation." Golan stated that at Time, "We don't have a general policy for bodies or body parts and handle each situation... considering matters of taste, respect for the wounded and dead, on a case-by-case basis. These pictures from Madrid are particularly gruesome."

The Washington Post

The Washington Post published the photo in colour on its front page. Michael duCille, picture editor, said, "My argument when I have a picture like this that has some excruciating, gut-wrenching emotion, is incredibly gory, devastating, and is hard on the eye – I apply a scale that compares the news event, the situation, look for the overriding reason to present such a situation to the viewing public. The event is so huge to the world that people needed to see its reality."

Newsweek

Newsweek selected different pictures to publish. Lynn Staley, assistant managing editor, stated "The most controversy was that there were relatively few images to choose from – there were a finite number of images." She stated, that the magazine used an image of a lone victim trapped in the rubble of a bombed-out passenger car. "The opener of the body of the woman in the wreckage was one of the most beautiful, haunting, and amazing images that we had seen." Staley admits the selection process is subjective. "To say that it is a rational process, is an overstatement. Our presentation was instructive, yes, in some ways, but our goal is not to shock."

Source: "Beyond Taste: Editing Truth" by Kenneth F. Irby, Poynteronline, Mar. 29, 2004 (http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=63131)