INSIDE USA TODAY: All about that front page photo ...

USA TODAY's front page captured a moment in the gay marriage debate, and also drew criticism.

June 30, 2013

Executive Editor David Colton offers an occasional look inside the USA TODAY newsroom.

Capturing history on the front page of a newspaper sometimes is easy: A presidential candidate gives the thumbs-up; an American flag is planted on the moon; a couple kisses in Times Square on V-E Day.

But how to handle last week's landmark Supreme Court decisions backing gay marriage wasn't so obvious.

Yes, USA TODAY's coverage was especially extensive, covering everything from why the court acted as it did to how the rulings will affect gay couples going forward.

But what drew the most attention, pro and con, was our decision to use an AP photo of two men kissing in front of the Supreme Court as our main art on the front page. The banner headline read, "RAINBOW RULINGS."

A sampling of reaction:

•"Our favorite front page is USA TODAY, with its wonderful headline, 'Rainbow Rulings,' and pictures of people on both sides of the issue,'' wrote Sonya Gavankar of the Newseum, which displays hundreds of front pages daily at its website.

•Others e-mailed or tweeted that the front page was "iconic,'' "amazing,'' "bold'' and even, in the vernacular of the times, "awesome.''

•Media critic Howard Kurtz held up the front page during his CNN Reliable Sourcesshow on Sunday as an example of how the news media had treated the story.

But some readers were angry, and they were far more verbose in letting us know:

•"I was offended more than I thought possible by the picture on the front page of your 6/27 edition. I think that your publication has sunk to a low no one else can match. I am supposed to pray for your souls, but I just can't.'' — Ian Bowles

•"You have crossed the line from any semblance of decency. I am completely offended and embarrassed that innocent children can walk by a newsstand and view that picture!'' — Randy

•"A great example for our children and grandchildren seeing that picture! You could have easily shown them standing together and holding hands, but you had to show them kissing. Shame on you. I am cancelling my subscription to USA TODAY.'' — Bob Hendricks

We knew in the newsroom that running the photo might draw emotional reactions. To balance things out, we included another photo, although smaller and below the fold, of a reverend praying in opposition to the ruling. That didn't stop the criticisms.

In the end, we think the kissing photo captured not only the historic nature of the decision but also the very human impact of the day. The two men, in fact, had decided to marry immediately after the rulings were announced (a precursor to the many weddings that resumed in California over the weekend).

The photograph was what the decision was all about. And explaining the photograph to children can be a learning moment — framed of course by a parent's viewpoint — especially when the photo is displayed in a sober and respected newspaper. (And it is near benign when compared with the leering jokes that abound during an innuendo-filled 8 p.m. sitcom.)

Frankly, a few years ago we would not have run that photograph. I know because I nixed a similar photograph from appearing on Page 3A after a legal victory in a lower court a couple of years back. I thought at the time that it would be upsetting to some readers (even though, deep down, I regretted the decision while I made it).

We in the news media, along with politicians, presidents, and in the end the courts, often lag behind where the nation already is. While gay marriage remains a hot button issue, attitudes have shifted dramatically in a few short years, especially among the young.

Here's what USA TODAY's Susan Page wrote on the morning of the rulings:

"Consider the turnaround in public opinion since President Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, which his aides saw as a political necessity two months before his re-election. That year, just 27% in a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll said same-sex unions should be recognized by law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages. Sixty-eight percent said they shouldn't.

"In a Pew Research Center poll last month, 51% backed allowing gay men and lesbians to marry, the first time it had majority support in that poll.

"There continues to be significant opposition: 46% opposed legalizing gay marriage. But even most opponents said that legal recognition was now 'inevitable.' ''

We respect those who protested the photo; gay marriage surely remains an ongoing policy debate across much of the nation, and USA TODAY will continue to cover all angles and viewpoints.

But we also believe that our front page on a Thursday morning in late June marked a singular moment in American history, and we are proud that USA TODAY tried to capture that in photography, in headlines and in the words of our fine reporters and editors. It was accurate and, we think, powerful, no matter where readers might stand on the issue.