They should never apologize for their editorial policies or decisions.
This is really off the topic of the photo, but everyone is prejudiced against someone or something, no matter how “open” they may claim to be.
What the editorial was trying to say, and perhaps said it a bit clunsily is that it is ironic that while decrying the papers policy regarding pictures they are trying to impose their own thought on the paper.
At the end of the day, if someone wants to, they can make an issue out of anything, in fact, I take offense at the socks deizooger is wearing today. Perhaps I will send a letter to the washington post about it.