An illustration should help explain, without pretending

What we found in the news

NIST's November 2024 report on synthetic content (opens in a new tab) examines ways to record, identify and explain the origins of generated or altered media. In its discussion of labels, it notes that recorded or detected origin information is:

“not necessarily displayed to users or consumers”

This is foundational technical guidance, not a finding that one label guarantees understanding. It raises a practical editorial question: when we use an image to explain a care or community idea, what will someone reasonably think the image shows?

Why this matters to us

An illustration can make an unfamiliar idea easier to discuss. It can show a possible arrangement, give a resource a welcoming setting or help people imagine joining an activity. That is useful creative work.

The difficulty begins when an imagined scene appears to document something that happened. A realistic group picture beside a program summary might look like evidence of attendance. A cheerful expression might be read as a participant's response. We want imagery to help readers understand the idea while leaving them clear about what is known.

Decide what the image is doing

Imagine a staff editor and a participant adviser preparing an article about a possible community garden. On their pinboard are a drawn concept illustration and a photograph of an empty setting. The adviser points to the caption space: readers need to know whether the garden exists or is being imagined.

Those images have different jobs. A location photograph can show the actual space, with appropriate permission and context. A concept illustration can explore how a future activity might fit. Neither tells us what people thought of an event that has not happened.

Name the purpose before choosing or generating the image. If the article reports an actual event, use suitable evidence or a clearly identified illustration that supports the topic without posing as a record.

Check what the scene implies

Review more than the image's visual quality. Look at who is acting, who is watching and whether the scene gives people a meaningful role. Check for equipment, buildings or activities that could suggest capabilities the organization has not established.

Avoid attaching invented personal histories or testimonials to generated people. A fictional participant can help illustrate a general situation, but their expression cannot establish satisfaction, improvement or a real person's experience.

Keep the review open to people who understand the setting. They may notice an impractical arrangement, a missing access route or a familiar stereotype that the editor overlooked. Ask what the image helps explain and what someone might mistakenly conclude from it.

Carry the explanation into every version

An article image may become a square social post, a newsletter thumbnail or a wide link preview. Cropping can remove the detail that made its purpose clear. Review each version alongside the headline and summary it will accompany.

Use visible wording where readers need it to understand that a scene is illustrative or generated. Keep a record of how the image was created and reviewed, while checking what the receiving audience can actually see. File information alone is not a complete explanation to the reader.

Write alternative text about the visible content and its relevant purpose. Keep a visible caption for context that all readers need. If a correction changes the image's meaning, update the associated versions and distribution copy as well.

What this means for the people you serve

Readers can enjoy an inviting image without having to guess whether it depicts actual participants or an imagined possibility. People receiving support appear as contributors with choices. Staff have a clearer basis for selecting media, and the organization can explain its creative decisions without claiming experiences it has not documented.

The genus connection

The current Content & Pathways (opens in a new tab) tools support prepared resources that combine text and media. Supported AI assistance can help with drafts and scene preparation, while staff decide what to keep and share.

For a genus resource, confirm the available formats and review the image with its wording in the intended experience. Check sources, rights, accessibility and factual implications before reuse. A well-chosen illustration gives people something useful to consider; the surrounding explanation should make its role easy to understand.

One question to take away

Could a reader reasonably mistake this illustration for evidence of a real event, person or result?