• Poynter, Thursday, January 10, 2013 11:45 AM

Here's a fascinating story proving the power of a provocative image -- and also showing what can happen when the digital world mixes with older forms of journalism. A photo first published in a local newspaper in 1992 has been revived through social media, and now new generations seek to find the meaning of an "emotionally complex photograph of a Klan-robed toddler playfully touching the riot shield of a bemused African-American state trooper," as David Griner writes. Griner provides the back story of the photo, which was almost not published because it was taken by a freelance photographer while the newspaper's staff photographer came back with his own shots. Definitely worth checking out -- especially for the image itself and the thoughtful musings on its meaning.

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