MN Daily Removes Graphic Picture After 'Strong Feedback'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Daily's use of a graphic picture in a story on a University of Minnesota student's death has sparked some controversy. So, did the picture go too far or is it any worse than what you'd see on prime time television?
Twenty-year-old Keaton Patrick Murphy's body was discovered inside a train box car behind the TCF Bank Stadium Thursday, police confirmed. He had been missing since he was released from jail last week and was reportedly suicidal.
The picture, which was posted Thursday, showed the bloody insides of a box car.
Devin Henry, the editor in chief and co-publisher of the Daily, responded to criticism Friday, saying that reporters and photographers went to the scene, where police were not present and the area was not cordoned off. They shot images of the rail car and took notes of the scene.
Henry, along with three other editors, approved the photo because they "decided the photograph added a layer of realism that could not be expressed in words alone," according to Henry.
However, after "strong feedback," the picture was removed early Friday morning. Henry said, "this sad event was an instance where restraint was a more appropriate path to take."
Click here to see the photo (Warning: some users may find this photo graphic.)
