photo warnings

MSNBC runs a Week in Pictures slideshow every week that captures the week's news in photographs. Viewers have the chance to vote on their favorite picture every week, and the photos range from beautiful scenery to human despair. One of the policies they use (that I think works very well) is to warn viewers when a disturbing photo is in the lineup. Viewers have the option to click on the warning to see the photo, or merely continue the slideshow without looking at it. (A good example of this was from last week's archive, photo #6 called 'Deadly Blast', about a car bomb explosion in Peshawar.)

While I do agree that journalists have a responsibility to print sometimes disturbing photos (and articles) about the darker aspects of our world, I appreciate the warning that a powerful image is on the horizon. It gives readers a chance to brace themselves prior to viewing, as well as grants them the option of skipping it entirely. This type of warning really works best in online slideshows, as creating this option in print is more difficult to do.