A photo published by The Times on Tuesday, showing some of the dead victims of an attack in Nairobi, Kenya, led to a swift backlash among some of our readers.

Many readers thought it was inappropriate to include an image of bloody bodies slumped over tables in our article about the assault, which was committed by the Islamic extremist group Shabab.

Readers, including many Kenyans, also questioned whether The Times would publish similarly horrific photos after an attack in the United States or elsewhere in the West.

“These are not just bodies . These are people whose family and friends are reading your article and experiencing indelible trauma from seeing their loved ones’ photos,” Lorna Kagecha wrote in an email to The Times. “We do not see this kind of nonsense when you write articles on attacks in the Western world.”

While many social media users blamed our incoming East Africa bureau chief, Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura, for posting the image, she played no role. As with any article, decisions about photography are made by editors in New York or elsewhere, not by reporters.

The publication of graphic images is never taken lightly at The Times. Many people across the newsroom are involved in difficult conversations, weighing the desire to be sensitive and respectful of victims and their families with our mission to give readers a clear view of what’s happening in the world.

To provide more insight into the decisions behind publishing graphic photos, Meaghan Looram, our director of photography, and Marc Lacey, our National editor and former foreign correspondent based in Nairobi, have answered questions drawn from reader feedback.

We welcome you to continue the conversation in the comments section.

What considerations went into choosing the photos in this article? Why did you decide to run the image of dead bodies?

MEAGHAN LOORAM Let me first say that editors in New York made the decision on which images to publish with the story. Our reporter did not have any input into this decision.

Our editors always take into consideration the newsworthiness of the story and our responsibility to our readers to honestly convey the events of the world, horrific and disturbing as those events may sometimes be.

We look at the universe of images available from any given event, and we try to make a decision that both serves our readers and respects the dignity of those affected by the attack or event.

Generally, we try to avoid identifying victims or showing unnecessary blood and gore, particularly if it is not central to the news story that the photograph accompanies.

But it is an important part of our role as journalists to document the impact of violence in the world, and if we avoid publishing these types of images, we contribute to obscuring the effects of violence and making debates over security and terrorism bloodless.