Fair use is a defence in court. It's widely acknowledged that fair use is acceptable for reviews, such as book reviews, but the rules vary in different countries. It's murky, open to different interpretations, and it's one of the many reasons why newspapers have cast iron (very expensive) insurance.

Generally speaking, if you are writing about the subject in the photograph for educational, reporting, or review purposes, you may get away with claiming 'fair use', but I'm no lawyer. So please do not rely on that.

You may *not* get away with it and then you will have to defend your position in court.

I personally usually only claim fair use on book reviews. And even them I'm reluctant to do that if the cover image comes from Getty. I would always urge people to err on the side of caution and get permission to use images.

If you want to take more risks though, that's entirely up to you. It might work out fine. It might not. I prefer to be extra careful.