Poynter on the Record

...The photo appeared on the front of the Local & State section March 9. Photographer Diedra Laird had gone to the Urban Ministry Center on North College Street near uptown to chronicle the ministry's move to its new home. Her photo shows staff member Jo Rizer carrying a box of office supplies to its new home several yards away. Nearby were three men waiting for a free lunch.

"There's something wrong with this picture...," Patricia Markle of Pineville wrote. "While homeless men sit idly by, the woman carries the heavy box. OK, I'll excuse the one with the cane. Maybe I'm too old-fashioned, but shouldn't these guys be lending a hand here?"

Gene Fitzpatrick of Charlotte wrote: "...Are they just not willing to assist? A picture is surely worth a thousand words."

Rizer said she doesn't know the three men, or if there was a reason physical or otherwise that would have kept them from helping her with the box. She said she was so involved in the work that day that she doesn't remember whether she needed any assistance. She didn't ask for help. They didn't offer any. It was so busy around there, she said she didn't notice whether the men helped anyone else during the day. ...

Kelly McBride, who teaches ethics and writing at The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., said this debate illustrates the power of a newspaper photograph to evoke a visceral reaction. But beyond that first impression, she said readers need to put the photograph in context, to see the broader issues upon which it might touch. In this case, she wonders about the challenges in their lives that might have led the men to the Urban Ministry Center.

A picture is worth a thousand words, she said. "But that doesn't always tell the story."
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