NYTReportedly Sought to “Dial Back” Luigi Mangione Photos
Alleged editorial chats published by independent journalist Ken Klippenstein suggest the paper tried to limit the publication of photos of the accused shooter.
by Isa Farfan 
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Some publications have avoided publishing mugshots of accused individuals for years due to ethical concerns. Smaller outlets often use slideshows of mug shots to generate web traffic and advertising revenue, but in 2020, that began to change in journalism, according to the Marshall Project, which does not publish mugshots at all. Other small publications like the New Haven Independentomit mugshots from their reporting.
In 2020, Johnny Perez, director of US Prisons Programs for the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, told Poynterand the Marshall Projectthat publishing mugshots “creates this situation where you’re criminalizing folks before they’re convicted of any crime.” Mostly, the practice of publishing mugshots has the potential to perpetuate stereotypes against people of color and “undermin[e] the presumption of innocence,” Perez said.
The practice of including mug shots is not governed by journalistic ethics standards like those set forth by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ). However, SPJ ethics do require that journalists “balance the public’s need for information against potential harm or discomfort” and “avoid pandering to lurid curiosity, even if others do.”
It’s unclear from the NYT’s online ethical handbook whether the publication has a policy for photos of individuals charged with high-profile crimes; however, the paper did publish Donald Trump’s mug shot in August 2023.
Images of Mangione are easily discoverable on the social media pages of relevant law enforcement agencies. Hyperallergic’srequest to use these images from Pennsylvania State Police headquarters was approved within half an hour.
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