LOCAL NEWS

Whether the photos show charred bodies of Americans or naked Iraqis in a military prison, domestic newspapers are more likely to publish such graphic images since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a panel of journalists said Friday.

"Since 9/11, I think there is probably a moving standard, a changing standard for the sorts of pictures we will run in the paper," said Chris Peck, editor of The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn.

Peck was moderator of a discussion about "tough calls in photojournalism" at a joint session of the Associated Press Managing Editors and the Associated Press Photo Managers annual conferences.

Jacqueline Larma, a photographer for The Associated Press in Philadelphia and one of the panelists, said American newspapers are now running the kinds of photographs that formerly would appear only in Asia, Europe or South America.

"I think you're right that in the post-9/11 era, since war came to this soil, that these photos have become much more relevant," she told Peck.

That's not to say the decisions to publish some of the photographs come easily.

Joe Elbert, assistant managing editor/photography for The Washington Post, said photographs that go into his newspaper are weighed by editors before a decision is made to run them. Those that have an "ooh factor" receive extra attention.

Elbert said his newspaper decided to run photographs of the Iraqi prisoners because of their news value and because they were evidence that showed the treatment the prisoners had received.

"If I have a goal, it's to have an image that is going to communicate on the page," Elbert said. "But it's subjective."

Suki Dardarian, an assistant managing editor at The Seattle Times , said another factor enters into the decision: What other outlets have a particular photograph and when will they use it.

"That's constantly on our minds," she said.

Panelists said that photographs of terrorists standing around hostages have lost their interest to domestic newspapers.

"I don't see the benefit of running any of these photos," said Ruben Ramirez, photo editor at the El Paso Times in Texas. "In serving our readers, we need to show some type of compassion to those families."

Peck said journalists should base decisions on publishing photographs on defined values and that they should exercise principles of good journalism and of reasoning.

"In most newspapers the tough photo decisions are discussed, and they're discussed every time," Peck said. "In your newsroom, if they aren't being discussed, they should be."

Journalists on a separate panel debated the value of celebrity news.

Lorrie Lynch, a columnist with USA Weekend, said covering celebrity news helps newspapers broaden coverage and bring in new readers.

"I think if we don't embrace celebrity as a way to bring in readers ... we're foolish," Lynch said.

Roger Gillespie, managing editor of The Hamilton Spectator of Ontario, Canada, said his editors saw celebrity coverage as a way to bring in women readers. The newspaper now devotes a full page each day to celebrity and Hollywood news.

"Papers today aren't broad enough," Gillespie said.

The panel included celebrity photographer Kevin Mazur; and Dee Wallace Stone, a star of the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial who participated in the panel via satellite.

Stone suggested that celebrity coverage in tabloids and magazines has become too intrusive.

"Our dignity and lack of respect has been overstepped," said Stone, an author who also runs a Hollywood acting studio.

Lynch said newspapers should practice "credible gossip," or following the same guidelines as reporters who cover hard news: fact-checking and multiple sourcing.

Borrowing an idea from the military, APME invited "embedded readers" to attend the conference to suggest ways that newspapers might improve. Those invited had been on reader advisory panels at various papers across the country.

In a panel discussion Friday afternoon, they suggested less "flesh" and more news, saying they want newspapers to print hard news and not take on the role of MTV or supermarket tabloids.

"It sort of pained me a little that we have to lower our standards to reach the youth," said Bertha Ortega, an assistant vice president at Heritage University in Yakima, Wash.

The readers also said they came away from the conference with a fresh perspective about journalists.

"I've gotten a tremendous amount of respect for the jobs that you all do," said Oscar S. Lizardi, an attorney in Tucson, Ariz. "You're living history. It's amazing to me."

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Associated Press writer Dylan T. Lovan contributed to this report.