Jack Lail, a journalist I respect, has written a short missive on his blog about this debacle. I encourage you to read it:
Does the audience even need journalists -- or photojournalists?
He makes an obvious statement that I think can't be repeated enough: "There's a vast difference between between a profesisonal photojournalist and someone who takes pictures."
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Sun-Times Follow Up
I'm recording an episode of the podcast Polarizing Images discussing this topic as I type this. However, I had to share this memo from the Sun-Times Managing Editor sent to the staff shortly after the Thursday layoffs:
MEMO TO SUN-TIMES EDITORIAL STAFF FROM MANAGING EDITOR CRAIG NEWMANI am speechless. Here's an expanded story from The Verge.
From: Newman, Craig
Date: Thu, May 30, 2013 at 3:33 PM
Subject: photo and training for editorial employees
All, thank you for your patience and understanding after today's announcement.
In the coming days and weeks, we'll be working with all editorial employees to train and outfit you as much as possible to produce the content we need.
These sessions will be mandatory and will concentrate on several areas:
• iPhone photography basics
• Video and basic editing
• Transmission and social media
And other sessions as needed or requested. We will start training this Friday with two sessions - 11 a.m and 4 p.m. - concentrating on iPhone basics in the 9 West conference room. This blog post [URL and password deleted] will offer some tips and techniques to be covered. The blog itself will become a standing resource for documentation and discussion points.
We will focus on downtown employees for this first session, but will set up similar sessions next Friday for suburban employees - details TBA.
In the meantime, I welcome any questions on training and technique. Suggestions on topics, in particular, are definitely worthwhile.
Thanks for your time.
-Craig
Friday, May 31, 2013
Did the Sun-Times just kill photojournalism?
I'm back. As usual, it is because of a major life event, or something that's pissed me off.
This time, it's the latter.
Thursday, May 30, The Chicago Sun-Times decided to lay off its entire photojournalism staff, including John H. White, one of the best photojournalists out there, and certainly the best in the city of Chicago. Twenty-eight journalists who specialize in photography lost their jobs, all because a group of greedy media owners who can't see the forest for the trees think any jackass with a camera can do photojournalism. Let me tell you something -- he or she cannot.
Photojournalism takes skill. It takes training. It takes experience. It takes talent. It requires good equipment (though today's smart phones are as good a camera in some instances than the equipment of yore). Still, it requires one to understand what makes a good journalistic photograph. It takes understanding of composition, contrast and content. It also requires a solid understanding of media law and ethics. The average man on the street with a cell phone camera has no idea what I just said or what any of that means, or why it's important. And apparently, neither do the owners of the Chicago Sun-Times.
From the photographer's point of view, no one said it better yesterday than Scott Strazzante, who posed the question on his blog "Are you just the photographer?"Of course, the answer is no, but it's often the question I was asked when I worked as a photojournalist in my early days of journalism. And, apparently, it's now the attitude of media owners, and editors -- seeing as none of the editors at the Sun-Times have spoken out against this travesty -- of the Sun-Times, and I fear, it will soon become the attitude of media owners and editors everywhere. Frankly, I expected this sooner. When Gannett decided to issue every reporter -- note, just reporters, not photographers -- iPhones, I was certain the reason was to put a camera in their hands so the Evil Empire (my name for Gannett) could eliminate its photojournalists. That hasn't happened yet, but you can bet your bottom dollar they will be observing what happens in Chicago very carefully.
In addition to Scott's excellent post (by the way, Scott was an observer, not an employee), the day after the layoff former Sun-Times photojournalist Michael Smart discussed the layoff with a Daily Herald reporter. In the story, Smart said the managing editor made the announcement in about a one-minute talk, refused to answer questions, and left the newsroom (in an aside, the managing editor, named Jim Kirk, should be ashamed. Capt. James T. Kirk would never be such a coward). The Sun-Times management is refusing to speak to any media outlets regarding this decision. Again, this is indicative they are all cowards.
The manner in which this Sun-Times went about this, in my opinion, is about as unethical as it comes, which makes me wonder if the paper has any morals or ethics in its newsroom at all, given the attitude for these principles come from the top. It seems that within seconds of the announcement (and the layoffs were immediate), the email accounts of all the photojournalists were deleted, which means the journalists laid off lost access to who-knows-what.
(Aside: My 14-year-old son just asked what I was writing, when I told him, he said, "How the hell do you produce a newspaper without professional photographers? That's just stupid." I love my son.)
The implications of this are far-reaching, especially in Chicago, where the police haven't exactly paid much attention to the First Amendment and its application to photojournalists in recent years. In fact, hundreds of reports of the police in Chicago confiscating cameras and cell phones from citizens have surfaced when they take photos at crime scenes. I imagine no one is happier to hear that the Chicago Sun-Times photojournalism staff has been terminated than Chicago's police chief, who clearly based on the intimidation of photographers by his force in recent years is plenty indicative he hates photographers. If the Sun-Times is going to rely on freelancers to get its photos, is the Sun-Times going to provide them legal representation and stand by them when their First Amendment rights are trampled by city officials? I'll wager the answer the answer to that is no. Expect the reports of civil rights violations of citizens in Chicago by the police to increase.
As a journalism professor, I have no idea right now what to tell my students who aspire to be photojournalists. The honest answer is the outlook isn't good. And it's certain none of them will have the photojournalism career that many of my friends and colleagues once enjoyed. I'll sit down with my journalism colleagues in the coming weeks and talk about what we all see as happening next. Of course, we'll all be just guessing, because this field is changing too fast to keep up.
To that end, I'll be discussing this nasty turn of events on what I think is the premier photography podcast on the Internet, Polarizing Images, next week. Check them out at PolarizingImages.com and keep an eye our for next week's episode, which will be posted late Tuesday or early Wednesday June 4 or 5.
And if you have feedback on this, please post it here! I would love to hear what everyone thinks.
This time, it's the latter.
Thursday, May 30, The Chicago Sun-Times decided to lay off its entire photojournalism staff, including John H. White, one of the best photojournalists out there, and certainly the best in the city of Chicago. Twenty-eight journalists who specialize in photography lost their jobs, all because a group of greedy media owners who can't see the forest for the trees think any jackass with a camera can do photojournalism. Let me tell you something -- he or she cannot.
Photojournalism takes skill. It takes training. It takes experience. It takes talent. It requires good equipment (though today's smart phones are as good a camera in some instances than the equipment of yore). Still, it requires one to understand what makes a good journalistic photograph. It takes understanding of composition, contrast and content. It also requires a solid understanding of media law and ethics. The average man on the street with a cell phone camera has no idea what I just said or what any of that means, or why it's important. And apparently, neither do the owners of the Chicago Sun-Times.
From the photographer's point of view, no one said it better yesterday than Scott Strazzante, who posed the question on his blog "Are you just the photographer?"Of course, the answer is no, but it's often the question I was asked when I worked as a photojournalist in my early days of journalism. And, apparently, it's now the attitude of media owners, and editors -- seeing as none of the editors at the Sun-Times have spoken out against this travesty -- of the Sun-Times, and I fear, it will soon become the attitude of media owners and editors everywhere. Frankly, I expected this sooner. When Gannett decided to issue every reporter -- note, just reporters, not photographers -- iPhones, I was certain the reason was to put a camera in their hands so the Evil Empire (my name for Gannett) could eliminate its photojournalists. That hasn't happened yet, but you can bet your bottom dollar they will be observing what happens in Chicago very carefully.
In addition to Scott's excellent post (by the way, Scott was an observer, not an employee), the day after the layoff former Sun-Times photojournalist Michael Smart discussed the layoff with a Daily Herald reporter. In the story, Smart said the managing editor made the announcement in about a one-minute talk, refused to answer questions, and left the newsroom (in an aside, the managing editor, named Jim Kirk, should be ashamed. Capt. James T. Kirk would never be such a coward). The Sun-Times management is refusing to speak to any media outlets regarding this decision. Again, this is indicative they are all cowards.
The manner in which this Sun-Times went about this, in my opinion, is about as unethical as it comes, which makes me wonder if the paper has any morals or ethics in its newsroom at all, given the attitude for these principles come from the top. It seems that within seconds of the announcement (and the layoffs were immediate), the email accounts of all the photojournalists were deleted, which means the journalists laid off lost access to who-knows-what.
(Aside: My 14-year-old son just asked what I was writing, when I told him, he said, "How the hell do you produce a newspaper without professional photographers? That's just stupid." I love my son.)
The implications of this are far-reaching, especially in Chicago, where the police haven't exactly paid much attention to the First Amendment and its application to photojournalists in recent years. In fact, hundreds of reports of the police in Chicago confiscating cameras and cell phones from citizens have surfaced when they take photos at crime scenes. I imagine no one is happier to hear that the Chicago Sun-Times photojournalism staff has been terminated than Chicago's police chief, who clearly based on the intimidation of photographers by his force in recent years is plenty indicative he hates photographers. If the Sun-Times is going to rely on freelancers to get its photos, is the Sun-Times going to provide them legal representation and stand by them when their First Amendment rights are trampled by city officials? I'll wager the answer the answer to that is no. Expect the reports of civil rights violations of citizens in Chicago by the police to increase.
As a journalism professor, I have no idea right now what to tell my students who aspire to be photojournalists. The honest answer is the outlook isn't good. And it's certain none of them will have the photojournalism career that many of my friends and colleagues once enjoyed. I'll sit down with my journalism colleagues in the coming weeks and talk about what we all see as happening next. Of course, we'll all be just guessing, because this field is changing too fast to keep up.
To that end, I'll be discussing this nasty turn of events on what I think is the premier photography podcast on the Internet, Polarizing Images, next week. Check them out at PolarizingImages.com and keep an eye our for next week's episode, which will be posted late Tuesday or early Wednesday June 4 or 5.
And if you have feedback on this, please post it here! I would love to hear what everyone thinks.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
My Aunt Jean died yesterday
I really should post to this blog more often. Sadly, I always wait for some major life event to spur me to write. This time is no different.
My Aunt Jean, a beautiful woman with a huge heart and sweet spirit, died Monday after a short illness. She was, without a doubt, my favorite aunt, just as her husband, my Uncle Clarence (who was my dad's brother), was my favorite uncle. I learned a lot from both of them over the years, and now that she has died (Uncle Clarence died three years ago), my cousin Karen and I (and our two sons) are the last of the family to survive. It's kind of a sobering thought. My son is the last male Chappell.
Funny story: My son might not exist -- nor me -- were it not for my Aunt Jean. She used to work with mom, and introduced her to my dad. Whey they started dating, Aunt Jean also warned my mom that my dad was bad news, and she might not want to date him, so I guess you could say that's a wash. Either way, I'm pretty sure the introduction helped bring me about.
Here's my aunt's obituary. I will be flying down Sunday morning to attend the service, and at my cousin's request, sing the same song I sang at my uncle's funeral at my aunt's request -- Beulah Land. Pray I make it through the song. It's made more difficult by the fact they attended a Church of Christ. They don't believe in music. A cappella is it.
My Aunt Jean, a beautiful woman with a huge heart and sweet spirit, died Monday after a short illness. She was, without a doubt, my favorite aunt, just as her husband, my Uncle Clarence (who was my dad's brother), was my favorite uncle. I learned a lot from both of them over the years, and now that she has died (Uncle Clarence died three years ago), my cousin Karen and I (and our two sons) are the last of the family to survive. It's kind of a sobering thought. My son is the last male Chappell.
Funny story: My son might not exist -- nor me -- were it not for my Aunt Jean. She used to work with mom, and introduced her to my dad. Whey they started dating, Aunt Jean also warned my mom that my dad was bad news, and she might not want to date him, so I guess you could say that's a wash. Either way, I'm pretty sure the introduction helped bring me about.
Here's my aunt's obituary. I will be flying down Sunday morning to attend the service, and at my cousin's request, sing the same song I sang at my uncle's funeral at my aunt's request -- Beulah Land. Pray I make it through the song. It's made more difficult by the fact they attended a Church of Christ. They don't believe in music. A cappella is it.
A memorial service for Norma Jean Shipp Chappell will be held Sunday, October 21, 2012 at 2:30 p.m. at the Ohatchee Church of Christ. The family will receive friends at 2 p.m. Mrs. Chappell passed away Monday at her residence in Jacksonville, Ala. Mrs. Chappell was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend. She was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, Clarence Edward Chappell. Her daughter, Karen Chappell Davis, son-in-law John W. Davis and grandson Caleb Chappell Davis survive her. She also leaves behind one brother Charles Shipp and his wife Margie, sister-in-law Mary Shipp, nieces and nephews, and many, many friends. Mrs. Chappell grew up in Corner, Ala., and graduated from Corner High School. She worked for various employers and was retired from the State of Alabama, where she worked as a secretary for over 20 years. A giving and generous person all of her life, she has chosen to continue giving in her passing and has donated her body to the UAB Anatomical Donor Program. The family requests no flowers. Please honor her memory by giving to the charity of your choice.I fly into Atlanta at 9 a.m. Sunday, and fly out of Atlanta at 1 p.m. Monday, so this is a quick trip. I'm sorry there won't be time for visits with friends.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
New job underway
As many of you know, but some may not, I got a job! It's not permament, and it's not the perfect situation, but it is employment.
I am now the Interim Director of Student Publications at Northwest Missouri State University. It's a one-year appointment for which I may apply for the full-time appointment; however, some things have to be worked out first. The location is Maryville, Mo. Right now, that means I live apart from Crista and Duncan during the week, and commute back to Indianola on the weekends. With Crista's job at Wells Fargo going so well, and Duncan skipping the eighth grade, we felt now was not the time for a family relocation -- particularly for a one-year appointment!
Should I apply for the job full time, there are other considerations. There's really nothing in Maryville for Crista. I mean, nothing. Outside of the University, this town is a black hole of employment. Businesses are closing up shop left and right, and vacant properties are everywhere. The University had a number of layoffs itself in spring (a plight I am all too familiar with), but at least here, the layoffs seem to have been targeted and involved a campus-wide reorganization and restructuring. The opposite of Simpson College, where a bunch of lazy administrators took the easy way out and made no substantive changes.
Additionally, the health insurance here is abysmal. I've never worked anywhere with such a bad health plan. Everyone I talk to has a spouse working somewhere else with better insurance (which is my case with Crista). If we were to be on the family plan here, more than half my paycheck would be taken to pay for the plan! It's insane! So, that may be the deal-breaker in terms of me working here full time. We'll see.
But at least I'm working this year, which is more than I can say for many of my former friends and colleagues at The Birmingham News.
I am now the Interim Director of Student Publications at Northwest Missouri State University. It's a one-year appointment for which I may apply for the full-time appointment; however, some things have to be worked out first. The location is Maryville, Mo. Right now, that means I live apart from Crista and Duncan during the week, and commute back to Indianola on the weekends. With Crista's job at Wells Fargo going so well, and Duncan skipping the eighth grade, we felt now was not the time for a family relocation -- particularly for a one-year appointment!
Should I apply for the job full time, there are other considerations. There's really nothing in Maryville for Crista. I mean, nothing. Outside of the University, this town is a black hole of employment. Businesses are closing up shop left and right, and vacant properties are everywhere. The University had a number of layoffs itself in spring (a plight I am all too familiar with), but at least here, the layoffs seem to have been targeted and involved a campus-wide reorganization and restructuring. The opposite of Simpson College, where a bunch of lazy administrators took the easy way out and made no substantive changes.
Additionally, the health insurance here is abysmal. I've never worked anywhere with such a bad health plan. Everyone I talk to has a spouse working somewhere else with better insurance (which is my case with Crista). If we were to be on the family plan here, more than half my paycheck would be taken to pay for the plan! It's insane! So, that may be the deal-breaker in terms of me working here full time. We'll see.
But at least I'm working this year, which is more than I can say for many of my former friends and colleagues at The Birmingham News.
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