Daily Echo sports ed to Saints boss: Press will not be held to ransom by you

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 11 August 2010 at 08:14
Tags: Journalism, Newspapers, People, Photography, Regional Newspapers

Bournemouth Daily Echo sports editor Neil Meldrum today gives it to Southampton FC chairman Nicola Cortese with both barrels over his decision to monopolise photography syndication from home games.

Meldrum, a passionate Saints fan himself, says in a brilliant editorial:

This once proud club has been turned into a laughing stock, both by the shambolic previous regime and the control freaks of the current one.

Mr Cortese clearly thinks his club will make a buck or two by syndicating pictures taken by their own man. I’ve got news for you, Nicola: You won’t.

If newspapers hate one thing, it is the greed of people like you and we press people tend to stick together in defiance of arrogance.

Yes, the Echo has let its readers down today by not printing pictures of last night’s match.

But we will not be held to ransom by the likes of Nicola Cortese.

Good luck with the promotion bid, because if you fail, there will be plenty of papers standing by with a chuckle and sharpened pencil.

Southampton FC pics ban earns it name ban in The Sun

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 11 August 2010 at 08:07
Tags: Journalism, Photography

The Sun continued to have fun today at the expense of Southampton Football Club over its zany plan to monopolise photography at its St Mary’s Stadium.

A match report (sadly, not available online) of last night’s Carling Cup game against Bournemouth was headlined: SOUTH COAST TEAM 2, BOURNEMOUTH 0.

The paper said: “Once again we are refusing to name a once-proud South Coast club in this match report from last night.

“This is solely down to the actions of club chief Nicola Clotese, a man who has decided to ban national and local newspapers from taking photographs of the game.”

So far it looks like all national and regional newspapers are refusing to work with Southampton and purchase photos from its own photographers.

They probably realise that if Southampton were to get away with this, other clubs would follow and it would be the end of the line for independent photojournalism at professional football matches in the UK.

The Bournemouth Echo has joined in the protest by using archive shots from the 1980s to illustrate its report of the match last night.

The Sun joins condemnation of Southampton FC’s ban on photographers

Posted by Oliver Luft on 9 August 2010 at 15:24
Tags: National Newspapers, Newspapers, Photography, press freedom

The Sun has joined mounting criticism of Southampton Football Club’s decision to ban press photographers from its St Mary’s Stadium.

The redtop responded to the decision today by “printing the most one-sided match report in the history of The Sun”. (more…)

Society of Editors to raise Hackney snapper incident with ACPO

Posted by Press Gazette on 5 August 2010 at 14:20
Tags: Newspapers, Photography, Regional Newspapers, press freedom

Executive director of the Society of Editors Bob Satchwell said today that he intends to raise the issue of the photographer who was threatened with arrest if she didn’t delete images with the Association of Chief Police Officers.

Freelance Carmen Valino was threatened with arrest at the scene of a shooting in Hackney, East London, on Saturday while on assignment for the Hackney Gazette.

The incident came despite ACPO having issued guidelines stressing that press photographers should not be made to delete photos by serving officers.

Satchwell said: “It is outrageous that the message from government ministers and the Association of Chief Police Officers itself is not getting through to officers on the streets.

“It’s not for them to tell the media what they can and cannot photograph and it must be stopped.

“I’m confident that Andy Trotter, chairman of the ACPO Media Advisory Group, will take this on board when I meet him next week.”

Girl Guides’ petition bid to tackle magazine airbrushing

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 4 August 2010 at 10:02
Tags: Consumer Magazines, Journalism, Magazines, Photography

Magazines could be forced to disclose when photographs have been airbrushed or otherwise enhanced if a petition launched by the Girl Guides is successfull.

The youth group launched the petition yesterday and is hoping to persuade at least 20,000 to sign it before handing it to Prime Minister David Cameron.

They might also considering dropping a copy off at the offices of the Press Complaints Commission.

Section 1 of clause 1 of the Editor’s Code of Practice, which all magazine editors sign up to, states:

“The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information, including pictures.”

Unfortunately, most consumer magazine editors choose to ignore this and the PCC, reliant as it is on following up individual complaints, does not choose to pro-actively enforce compliance with the rule.

The Guides fear that magazines and advertisement are harming young girls by making them feel they need to emulate images of misleadingly perfect bodies.

Standard snapper takes Miliband from Bananaman to porn-star

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 3 August 2010 at 09:07
Tags: National Newspapers, Newspapers, People, Photography, Regional Newspapers

The last time the Evening Standard’s Jeremy Selwyn photographed David Miliband, in 2008, he persuaded the then foreign secretary to hold up a banana - providing the perfect image to accompany Gordon Brown’s “no time for a novice” party conference speech, which was interpreted at the time as a double attack on Tory leader David Cameron and those in his own party who would unseat him.

Now Selwyn has Miliband looking a bit like a very unconvincing porn star in a photoshoot for last night’s Standard. According to deputy political editor Paul Waugh, Miliband spotted a banana protruding from the jacket of two-time British Press Awards photographer of the year Selwyn and politely declined to recreate the 2008 pose.

Thames Valley Police accused AGAIN over treatment of a journalist

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 22 July 2010 at 09:18
Tags: Law, Photography, press freedom

A press photographer in Reading is the latest journalist to suffer at the hands of over-zealous police officers.

Paul King was taking pictures of a road traffic accident in Wokingham, Berkshire, when police seized his camera and later deleted images from it, the BBC reports.

King reportedly has 25 years experience as a news photographer working in the Thames Valley area. (more…)

New search tool to look for journalism-related stories across Press Gazette and beyond

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 6 July 2010 at 09:21
Tags: Broadcast, Journalism, Journalism Technology, Magazines, Media Business, National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers, People, Photography, Regional Newspapers

Here’s a widget from Google to help Press Gazette readers search for stories across all our websites. The Press Gazette homepage search function currently only looks for stories on www.pressgazette.co.uk.

This Google Gadget enables you to look for stories not only there, but across the network of Press Gazette-authored blogs. It should be particularly handy for searching back through The Wire, our news aggregation blog which so far consists of more than 6,700 posts linking to interesting journalism related stuff across the web.

The main Press Gazette homepage archive contains some 10 years of news and features.

Journalists robbed at gunpoint in South Africa

Posted by Jun Merrett on 10 June 2010 at 09:39
Tags: International, Journalism, Newspapers, People, Photography

Four Chinese journalists in South Africa to cover the World Cup were robbed by an armed gang yesterday.

That followed a report earlier on Wednesday detailing how three Portuguese journalists also covering the World Cup were robbed in their hotel. (more…)

Brian Duffy: ‘He had that Irish madness about him’

Posted by Jun Merrett on 7 June 2010 at 09:25
Tags: Journalism, People, Photography

Photographer Brian Duffy has died aged 76 after a battle with lung cancer.

Duffy alongside David Bailey and Terence Donovan formed the “Black Trinity” of photographers that The Guardian said became as famous as the models, musicians and film stars they captured.

Although he started his career as a fashion illustrator for Harper’s Bazaar, Duffy soon turned to photography working for world famous fashion magazines including the British Vogue and the French Elle. He was also one of a few leading photographers in the world who was chosen to shoot two Pirelli calenders in 1965 and 1973. (more…)

Bauer Media: full statement on freelance contract ‘war’

Posted by Press Gazette on 14 April 2010 at 08:17
Tags: Consumer Magazines, Magazines, National Union of Journalists, People, Photography

Press Gazette reported last week on how more than 200 freelances were in a stand-off with Bauer Media, accusing it of “declaring war” on contributors to its magazines over a new copyright agreement which appears to indemnify it against being sued.

Bauer has now responded (here’s our story on it). Here is the company’s statement in full: (more…)

British Press Awards 2010: Slideshow with pictures of the night

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 24 March 2010 at 10:24
Tags: Journalism, National Newspapers, Newspapers, People, Photography

Here’s a selection of photographs from last night’s British Press Awards taken by photographer James Young - from London Mayor Boris Johnson’s opening remarks to the UK’s latest olympic gold medal winner Amy Williams handing over the journalist of the year gong to Telegraph editor-in-chief Will Lewis.

Grazia goes 3D with Augmented Reality issue

Posted by Press Gazette on 23 March 2010 at 10:46
Tags: Consumer Magazines, Magazines, New Media, Online, Photography

Fashion glossy Grazia is taking advantage of the latest 3D technology by today launching an Augmented Reality issue.

The “walk-in, talking” version of the woman’s weekly magazine uses the new technology to set Florence Welch - from band Florence and the Machine - singing and dancing on the cover.

The magazine has been laced with augmented reality codes which, when held up to a webcam or iPhone, activate its interactive features.

Jobs to go at Stratford Herald

Posted by Press Gazette on 18 March 2010 at 09:47
Tags: Newspapers, Photography

Family-owned Midlands newspaper, the Stratford Herald, is to drop three of its ten journalists, according to reports.

Editor Chris Towner told Holdthefrontpage: “Like everybody else we’re having a rough time and it doesn’t look like it’s getting any better. We thought we could weather the storm as we have done in previous recessions but this one has proved deeper, darker and more protracted.”

According to the report, the cuts are unlikely to affect its reporting team, with the posts under threat expected to be news editor, sub-editor and one of the paper’s two photographers.

Local reporter finds sex offender in Switzerland

Posted by Press Gazette on 16 March 2010 at 12:39
Tags: Newspapers, Photography, Regional Newspapers

A local press reporter worked with a photographer from a second paper to track down a convicted sex offender who had breached the terms of his licence by moving abroad.

Holdthefrontpage has the remarkable story of how Derby Telegraph crime correspondent Shaun Jepson and Nottingham Evening Post photographer Jemma Cox flew out to Switzerland in the hunt for 48-year-old Richard Guelbert.

Guelbert, who was jailed in 1999 for 12 years for raping a 15-year-old, failed to notify the authorities of a change of address and after an appeal last month to help find five missing sex offenders the East Midlands papers went looking for him.

Both papers splashed the story this morning (Derby piece, Notts piece).

Photojournalist Charles Moore dead at 79

Posted by Press Gazette on 16 March 2010 at 11:47
Tags: Newspapers, People, Photography

Photojournalist Charles Moore, who captured some of the defining images of the United States in the civil rights era, died last week.

Through his iconic Life magazine photographs, Moore helped define the civil rights struggle in the US and helped sway public opinion.

The New York Times reported his daughter, Michelle Moore Peel, saying he died of natural causes – last week at home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, aged 79.

Among Moore’s work he captured images of Martin Luther King Jr being arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1958.

The BBC has compiled a gallery of a number of his images.

Facebook photo lift costs Wales on Sunday £260

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 11 March 2010 at 08:56
Tags: Law, National Newspapers, Newspapers, Photography, Regional Newspapers

British Journal of Photography relaunches as monthly

Posted by Press Gazette on 1 March 2010 at 11:03
Tags: Consumer Magazines, Magazines, Photography

After 146 years as a weekly the British Journal of Photography, one of the world’s oldest photography titles, is switching back to a monthly format.

The BJP originally launched as a monthly in 1854 but switched to weekly publication ten years later. (more…)

Photographer dies after covering football match

Posted by Press Gazette on 1 March 2010 at 08:52
Tags: Newspapers, People, Photography, Regional Newspapers

Rochdale Observer photographer Steve Bostock died suddenly after covering a football match last week.

Bostock suffered a suspected heart attack outside Spotland Stadium just minutes after the end of last week’s Rochdale and Bradford City match.

Colleagues paid tribute to Bostock, who was married with two children and four step-children.

Observer sports editor Richard Partington told his paper that Bostock’s photography reflected his great enthusiasm for his work. (more…)

Prince William Hello pics were digitally altered to give him dark mop

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 19 February 2010 at 10:01
Tags: Consumer Magazines, Magazines, Photography

The thick mop of black hair Prince William is sporting on the front page of this week’s Hello magazine is largely down to lighting and the way the print was developed, according to Palace officials.

The shoot by amateur photographer Jeff Hubbard under the guidance of Rankin has raised some debate about what has happened to Prince William’s normally rather patchy blond hair.

A royal spokesman told the Daily Mail: “Studio lighting and work on colour contrasts in the prints have all contributed to the particular look.

“The prince is pleased with the results, particularly since they have been commissioned in order to help homeless men and women, which is an issue close to his heart.”

Hello magazine reports on its website: “Lighting and digital touching have all played their part which is standard practice with a piece of artwork as opposed to natural photography. ”

While this is all good clean fun, it does raise a serious point about the cavalier attitude many glossy mags have to altering editorial images. If the picture has been tweaked, they should have told the readers up front.

Clause one of the PCC Editors’ Code clearly states: “The press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information, including pictures.”