Is this photo offensive?

I don't think the photograph is ornamental. It's a seasonal cliche, if anything...with the caveat that it's a young black boy depicted.
There have to be choices. Choices never made in a vacuum with consequences in mind. That's why having newsroom debate is valuable.
If you ever get a chance to hear or ask Nick Ut, the great AP photographer, about news value in photography, you should. He's one of the best men and teachers I've met in our profession.

 

What are we supposed to do, tell African-Americans to quit attending watermelon-seed-spitting contests out of concern that their picture might appear in the paper??!!

 

I know that is rhetorical.
But, there's nothing wrong with having the debate and being conscious of slurs and insensitivities. That's the mark of a good editor. Someone that isn't a literalist, someone that can see ramifications past boxes and type.

 

I know a black guy who will not eat fried chicken or watermelon around people he doesn't know.

 

It's a cute photo.

Based on the initial post, I was expecting something more like what Mizzougrad96 posted.

 

Not offensive in the least, though many have already told you that.
Run with it.

 

That's his problem.

 

It's just a kid spitting a seed.
If it was of the kid chowing down on a big slice of watermelon, then it probably should be questioned.

 

Since there's also a photo of a white woman participating in the spitting contest, there should be no problem.

 

What if she were spooning from a jar of mayonnaise?

 

I think you take a conservative approach with trivial shit so you can spend your time answering angry calls about how you pushed the envelope on the big shit.

 

I consider myself a pretty sympathetic and empathetic person when the need arises, and I try to be sensitive to stereotypes.

But, why would this photo be offensive? It's a harmless feature photo. Anybody reading more into it is the one with the problem.

Now, that said, news-value wise, it'd have been nice to get an equally good shot of the winner, and if the photog did that, then I'd have used that.

This whole thread reminds of that blow-up about Tiger Woods and his fried-chicken thing.

What, the guy can't just like fried chicken?