New York Times Homepage Features Photograph of Ukrainian Family Killed By Russian Shelling Near Kyiv
Warning: This article contains graphic imagery and video.
The New York Times homepage on Sunday featured a photograph of a family of four in Ukraine that was killed during a Russian attack on civilians.
The image, taken by photojournalist Lynsey Addario, shows Ukrainian soldiers attempting to rescue a father, mother, and their two children, after the family was hit by mortar shells fired by Russian forces on Sunday in Irpin, near Kyiv.
According to the image caption, the family had been trying to flee from Irpin amid Russian attacks. At the time the image was taken, only one of the four still had a pulse.
Guardian news editor Joanna Walters called the front page decision “brave,” and noted that it is “always an agonised debate, how to depict war, how to get the balance right.”
The Times article detailed how Ukrainian forces had destroyed a bridge to slow the Russian advance toward Kyiv. However, that pathway along the bridge provided one of the main escape routes out of Irpin.
“To cross a hundred yards or so of exposed street on the side of the bridge closer to Kyiv, people seeking to flee to the capital formed small groups and made a run for it together,” the Times reported. “Soldiers ran out, picked up children or luggage, and ran for cover behind a cinder block wall.”
“The mortar shells fell first 100 or so yards from the bridge, then shifted in a series of thunderous blasts into a section of street where people were fleeing,” the article added.
The scene was witnessed by a Times team, and video was captured by freelance journalist Andriy Dubchak.
Dubchak’s video was included in the article as well.
New York Times diplomatic correspondent Edward Wong said on Twitter that the Times’ security employees “raced out first to give aid.”
Showing uncensored images of dead bodies in mainstream media is not common for many reasons, though the Times has done so in the past, such as when covering a 2019 attack at a Nairobi hotel.
The Times came under criticism for that decision, but released a statement to Poynter defending its choice as ” balancing the need for sensitivity and respect with our mission of showing the reality of these events.”
“We want to be respectful to the victims and to others affected by the attack,” wrote the Times about their 2019 photo. “But we also believe it is important to give our readers a clear picture of the horror of an attack like this. This includes showing pictures that are not sensationalized but that give a real sense of the situation.”
Current and former reporters on Twitter appeared to recognize the journalistic value that the image of the family in Ukraine provided — showing the “unsanitized realities of war” — as Russian President Vladimir Putin continues his invasion.
