Feder: Chicago Tribune takes aim at police mug shots

Police booking photos of people who've been arrested - commonly known as mug shots - have been a staple of Chicago newspapers since before the days of "Scarface" Al Capone. But now they're headed for the morgue.

On Wednesday the Chicago Tribune announced new guidelines "aimed at the restrained and consistent use of mug shots with news stories." They're part of an industrywide reassessment of whether newspapers should continue to publish the photos in an era of clickbait exploitation and eternal life online.

"Readers may associate law enforcement booking photos with criminal activity; their use might imply guilt of individuals who are, by law, considered innocent until proven guilty," editor-in-chief Colin McMahon wrote in a note to readers. "This is particularly critical as we examine how our journalism might reinforce racial stereotypes and amount to punitive coverage of people who enter the criminal justice system - the majority of whom come from underprivileged backgrounds."

Get the full report, and more Chicago media news, at robertfeder.com.