Otterblog

I was forwarded a thoughtful complaint today from a reader about the art used with our coverage of Coy Privette. For those with a short memory, he’s the big-time moral lobbyist and former legislator who was arrested Thursday on six counts of aiding and abetting prostitution. As story lines go, this one’s got a lot. First, the hypocrisy issue. Second, the age angle. He’s 74, she’s 32. Finally, race. He’s white. She’s black. Here’s the writer’s complaint:

Two people are involved in an illegal act:  prostitution.  One is a white boy of the “good old” variety, a Baptist and an elected official.  The other is an African American woman.  Despite the guilt of both parties, the journal illustrated the incident with a single face.  No surprise which one it was.

Why, then, do I see only the face of an underprivelidged black woman in the paper?  Where is the weight of justice and equality in this?

As I told this writer, we ran a previous story that used only a photo of Privette, but her point is well-taken and important. Her picture isn’t that important to our understanding of the story. Just as it wouldn’t be if she was closer to Privette’s age and of the same race. Ms. Summers was arrested as well, so her mugshot—newsroom parlance for the small headshots we run—was available, but the fact that we can run something doesn’t mean we should.