Submitted 08/24/09 20:43:21 by Carl from Concord,NC.

Q I am curious as to why the paper decided to crop the photograph of Marcus Fluker. It appears the Observer was trying . . . to put Marcus Fluker in a less unflattering light. I assume the Observer would not tolerate a staff photographer editing a picture to provide a more dramatic image, or to influence opinion - so why would the Observer do it in this case.

Answered 09/04/09 18:49:06 by Rick Thames

A: For those who don't know, Marcus Antonio Steven Fluker is the 15-year-old suspect who was shot and killed by an elderly man who had earlier been tied up in his home and robbed at gunpoint. The photograph of Fluker's face that appeared in the newspaper was not cropped by the Observer. It was provided in that form by Fluker's family. As such, it simply provided readers a likeness of Fluker, which was why it was included with the story.