Readers have called our attention to two recent photos, and in so doing, expressed concern about our decision-making capabilities.

The first appeared on the cover of the TGIF section on Aug. 31 and showed the hip-hop group Wu Tang Clan doing a makeshift re-creation of the five Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman raising the U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi. With such a large military community, we figured we might hear from a few readers.

A Kamuela man said he was appalled at the photo, reprinted here, calling it "an insult to the 27,909 dead, wounded and missing Americans from that battle." An 'Ewa Beach veteran said he believes The Advertiser owes the military an apology.

"To place a tasteless parody of the heroic flag raising on Iwo Jima with a bunch of hip-hoppers, was an insult to those men who raised the flag, the Marine Corps and to our country," he wrote.

One woman was nearly in tears on the phone as she complained about the image and wondered who could have allowed such a thing.

The bottom line is that editors who planned the section were looking for the best photo available, not trying to send a negative message to those who have fought for freedom.

The editors I questioned about how the decision was made explained that the Wu Tang Clan concert at Blaisdell Arena was the clear choice for the cover because of the group's popularity. One designer said the picture was used inside TGIF the week before with no complaints. That's true, but the image was inadvertently reversed so the band members and the flag were leaning in the opposite direction.

"I recognized the Iwo Jima reference, but this seemed less a mockery and more an homage to the striving of soldiers," said features editor Elizabeth Kieskowski. "Hip-hop artists typically see themselves as fighters, trying to achieve the American dream. And it's also common in pop culture to usurp well-known imagery. For example, Madonna mimicked the image of Che Guevara on a recent CD. I'm sure you can find dozens of images based on 'Rosie the Riveter' along the same vein."

I wonder if the race of the band or the connection to the hip-hop culture played a part in the angry reaction. If the Rolling Stones, for example, were posing for the same photo, would readers have been just as dismayed?

The TGIF section is not an easy one to plan and needs to have an image that draws attention. This one did, but perhaps not in the way we intended. I can understand how some readers might have been offended but I can also understand how our editors chose the photo that best illustrated the cover story, however provocative.

Another provocative photo was published a week ago today and captured the moments after the University of Hawai'i football team edged Louisiana Tech, 45-44. The picture was of Michael Lafaele (misidentified by The Associated Press as Aaron Kia) on our front page and the sports page raising both arms in victory. His right hand appeared to have his middle finger extended and upset calls came into the sports department, our publisher, our editor who handles corrections and even the UH athletic department.

"Too bad one of your copy editors didn't catch the middle finger gesture (Lafaele) appears to be giving to a Louisiana Tech player," one man wrote. "Intentional or not, the gesture and the picture don't bode well for the Warriors' good press."

The assumptions were wrong. Lafaele was wearing a cast on his right hand and the cast, between the thumb and index finger, made it appear that he was raising a middle finger. However, a close look at his hand, pictured here, shows that there are three more fingers after the forefinger. At quick glance, however, it does look like an obscene gesture.

Advertiser editors double-checked the photo and were positive it was not inappropriate. Sports Editor Curtis Murayama and copy editor Paul Carvalho selected it as the primary image on the sports page and it was taken for Page One to refer back to our game coverage.

"I would run it again with an explanation in the caption that says the player has a cast on his injured right hand and he's extending his index finger," Murayama said. "It was our most dynamic photo."

When I explained the situation to one season-ticket holder, she immediately calmed down. She and her family had been attending UH games for five years and were upset at what she described as boorish behavior on the part of some of the fans who do not hold season tickets. If it had been a player's obscene gesture, she would have canceled her tickets. But after I backed up what someone from the UH athletic department told her about Lafaele's cast, she was thankful.

The Lafaele photo and the Wu Tang Clan image show that readers are watching us carefully and we have to take all the steps possible to make sure we're making the right call.