New York Times have responded to the Media Council of Kenya after they issued a statement to demand an apology as well as give an ultimatum for them to pull down their photos.
The response was made by Phil Corbett, Associate Managing Editor for Standards, The New York Times.
The Media Council of Kenya had expressed disappointment saying that their reporting was reckless and inconsiderate.
Kenyans had complained that New York Times had never done the same when reporting incidents that happen in other countries.
However, the New York times say that the made hard choices in reporting almost similar examples citing several articles.
“In recent years, Times editors have made hard choices — and published similar painful photos — in situations ranging from a shooting in New York City to terror attacks in London and Manchester; to victims of the drug wars in the Philippines; to war and famine in Syria and Yemen; and many others.” as written in the statement.
New York times also stated that they recognize that coverage of a terrible events like the Dusit attack can be very painful to those affected, and they always try to be sensitive and thoughtful in how they handle both words and images in such situations.
“We want to be respectful to the victims, their families, and anyone affected. But as journalists, we also believe it is important to give our readers around the world a clear picture of the horror of an attack like this. This often includes showing pictures that are not sensationalized but that give a real sense of the terrible situation.” reads statement in part
They also indicated that they try to consider the same factors wherever in the world something like that happens.
New York Times mentioned that they are very sympathetic to the pain of those affected in Nairobi, and they understand that many reasonable people disagree with their decision to publish such photos.
However, they assured that they take responsibility seriously, and are guided by their mission to help readers see and understand the world.
Here is the full statement from New York Times
Here is a response by Phil Corbett, our Associate Managing Editor for Standards, to David Omwoyo, the CEO of the Media Council of Kenya, on the decision by our editors to publish a graphic photo in a news story covering a brutal attack in Nairobi https://t.co/rAOJLmdW2J
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 17, 2019