Working with Images in Articles

How Images Can Speak Louder than Words

By Meryl Ann Butler

A tip for contributors -- how to support the wave of activism that is reclaiming America.

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Images which accompany articles or quicklinks are important ways to direct the reader's concentration toward a particular part of a story. And in our current political situation, I am especially motivated to put more focus on the positive side of any article. I think it is important for political activists to be directed toward hopeful things in the landscape, because it helps energize them. Depression steals the fuel of activism.

Of course, it is increasingly challenging to find a positive slant in some of the stories we are covering lately. But looking at a front page full of scowling POTUS 45 images can feel debilitating.

Please understand that this consideration has nothing to do with what stories to cover, but it has everything to do with how we want to leave our readers feeling. And I want them to feel hopeful and inspired to activism.

So I'd like to offer an example:

I posted this quicklink, Trump declared war on the media, NYT response is PRICELESS

The easy, default choice for an accompanying image would have been POTUS 45, or maybe Sean Spicer. Either one of those images puts more focus on the part of the story that makes readers depressed and despondent.

So, I used a photo of the NY Times building. That helps the reader focus on solutions, and on the positive side of this story.

And I'm inviting all of our contributors to do the same where appropriate.

And besides, Trump really is making American great again! In response to his activities, suddenly the mainstream media are growing balls and demanding ethical behavior!

Who would have guessed?