The New York Times has told off the Media Council of Kenya over its demand for an apology following publication of horrific photos of victims of Tuesday's Dusit terror attack.
In a response letter signed by its Associate Managing Editor for Standards Philip B. Corbett, the American company said though it remains sympathetic to the pain of those affected, they try to consider the same factors wherever in the world something like this happens, "balancing the need for sensitivity and respect with our mission of showing readers the reality of such events".
Media Council of Kenya CEO David Umwoyo had earlier on written to the New York Times demanding an apology.
The council termed the move by NYT as reckless and disrespectful saying the images amounted to glorifying and parading the "success" of the terror acts.
The council gave NYT 24-hours to pull down the offensive photos and make an unconditional apology.
But Corbett in his response letter said the decision to publish the photos was not made by the main reporter, Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura, or by any New York Times journalists on the scene in Nairobi.
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"We recognize that coverage of a terrible event like this can be very painful to those affected, and we try always to be sensitive and thoughtful in how we handle both words and images in these situations. We want to be respectful to the victims, their families, and anyone affected," he said.
He added, "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".
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Corbett said In recent years, Times editors have made hard choices and published similar painful photos in situations ranging from shooting in New York City to terror attacks in London and Manchester to victims of the drug wars in the Philippines and the war and famine in Syria and Yemen.
"We are very sympathetic to the pain of those affected in Nairobi, and we understand that many reasonable people disagree with our decision to publish these photos. But I hope to assure you that we take this responsibility seriously, and are guided by our mission to help readers see and understand the world," Corbett said.
Corbett further dismissed claims that Twitter had suspended their account as a result.
To clarify one other point, Twitter did not suspend an account associated with The New York Times; it suspended an account that violates their impersonation policy nearly three years ago, he said.