"Why The Times Published a Disturbing Photo of Dead Bodies After an Attack in Nairobi"

A photo published by The Times on Tuesday, showing some of the dead victims of an attack in Nairobi, Kenya, led to a swift backlash among some of our readers. Many readers thought it was inappropriate to include an image of bloody bodies slumped over tables in our article about the assault, which was committed by the Islamic extremist group Shabab. Readers, including many Kenyans, also questioned whether The Times would publish similarly horrific photos after an attack in the United States or elsewhere in the West...

...it is an important part of our role as journalists to document the impact of violence in the world, and if we avoid publishing these types of images, we contribute to obscuring the effects of violence and making debates over security and terrorism bloodless. We believe that our coverage contributes to national and global discussions on national security, foreign policy, America’s role in international conflicts, gun violence and terror. If we shy away from showing the real consequences of some of these policies, then we are doing our readers, and even those who make some of these policy decisions, a disservice.