We question our news judgement all the time — what stories should appear on Page One, what the headline should say, whether something actually is news or passes for news, why anyone should care about the story — and at the end of the day, everyone seems to go home happy.

But a seemingly innocuous photo on the front of the Hawai'i section on Wednesday, Nov. 15, divided many of the editors and brought a few calls of protest into the newsroom.

Golfer Michelle Wie appeared at a press conference with Gov. Linda Lingle to talk about making donations to Kamaile Elementary and helping with Hawai'i's homeless problem. She also talked about playing in the Sony Open again in January.

But our photo choice (shown here) made some cringe inside and outside the newsroom.

A few thought the shot of Wie playing with her hair trivialized her. One said it was disrespectful, especially since she was at a press conference to talk about how moved she was by a homelessness series in The Advertiser that prompted her to make donations of Sony computers, new furniture and air-conditioning for the school computer lab. One woman called to say The Advertiser has made female athletes look ridiculous in photos in the past, although she offered no hard evidence.

When I asked the editors who attend our afternoon news meeting what they thought, you'd think a war had broken out as various voices spoke out, sometimes loudly.

Photo editor Seth Jones chose the Jeff Widener photo and defended it forcefully.

"My argument is that this photo captures a moment in time during a press conference at which a 17-year-old girl, thrust into the international spotlight, still does things that other 17-year-old girls do," he said. "I do believe the photo is an accurate representation of events at the press conference. The picture does not do her a disservice, but it is interesting and gives the reader pause enough to hopefully want to know more. Press-conference shots can be deathly boring. This picture was anything but that. Yes, it was different. But it was also fair and accurate."

Other editors weren't so sure. One said that it took the moment out of context and wasn't apropos of anything that was said or done at the press conference. Another said Wie wasn't playing with her hair throughout the event, so why highlight that moment? Still another said it was distracting and did nothing to illustrate a story about Wie and Lingle talking about the homeless.

I understand our photo editor's dilemma. He is looking for a shot that is captivating and stands a cut above the rest. Widener is a talented shooter and is always looking for the offbeat and unusual.

But I'll admit I grimaced when I saw the photo. To me, it's like getting a picture of the president yawning during an important speech. Sure, it happened, but does it adequately and fairly capture the moment? It certainly made me stop and notice the photo, but probably for the wrong reason. What came quickly to mind was that we were not taking Wie that seriously, even though she was there for a serious subject and standing beside the top office-holder in the state. And would we have run a picture of Lingle playing with her hair? Of course not. So in running that photo, we were sending a message to readers, whether we intended to or not.

It was not intentional, of course, but it ended up highlighting Wie's youth rather than the mature nature of her taking on an adult cause.