Pictures ("visual information") require the same critical judgment texts do. Just as some texts don't tell the truth--intentionally or unintentionally--the same is true with images. Like other forms of information, images can be accurate quotations or careless paraphrases. It's necessary, then, for students and scholars to approach the images they use in their research and writing with the same apparatus they do for texts.
Visual literacy - how to interpret ("read") an image using one or all of the following critera
Visual analysis - how would a visually-literate person approach this particular image?
Duke University, Research Guide, Visual Literacy, Created by Lee Sorenson
Clarity
Accuracy
Effectiveness
Bias
Relevance of Facts