Reporters Make Excelent Photojournalists part II

I am revisiting a subject that some photojournalists would believe in unicorns before they would believe a reporter can also be a gifted news photographer.

I mentioned here ex Chicago Sun-Times photographer Rob Hart, a casualty of recession-era cut-backs when newspapers needed photojournalists, not just photographers, prophesied that asking reporters to photograph their own stories was going to be the end of professional journalism as we know it.

Here is my pickleball bandana to dab a tear, Rob. The recession was hard on a lot of us back then.

Chad Rachman, a dedicated reporter at the New York Post, is also a supremely talented photographer. One photo he posted on his Facebook page was taken with a cellphone received such comments as, 

Selfie of Chad Rachman
from the reporter's Facebook page.

 “Amazing, Chad, really amazing! You really are so incredibly talented!” and “Tragically beautiful. Captivating,”

My favorite comment was from Thom Mitchell who stated, “Proof that it isn't the camera that makes the photographer but rather it's the vision of the photographer that matters.”

However, one person, Chris Gallant, used the comment section to grumble that although the photo was awesome, it was shot with a smart phone and therefore one might get the misconception that reporters can do the same. What? Reporters can't be creative? He ended his lengthy post with, “Nice, but taken out of context, could be used against photojournalists.” 

To Chad Rachman I say; you are awesome, creative, and an inspiration to photojournalists. You set the bar high this time, dude.

You can see Chad’s stories and photography on Muck Rach here.

Being a feature writer

Last year an excellent reporter left our community newspaper for bigger opportunities and I lost an excellent Ninja Journalism guest blogger. See Jennifer Ritters' posts here, here and here.

Jennifer is a good reporter and a gifted feature writer as well, which added greatly to the paper.

Accidents, crime, city council reports and school district news are interesting and important.  However, what readers dearly want is to know is the community around them and the people who make it special.

Don’t believe me? Attend a city council meeting without a hot-button topic on the agenda and then go to a grass-roots benefit event. Notice the difference in attendance? People care about people, and your news outlets should reflect that with quality feature stories.

I cover news with dedication but I LOVE writing features, and readers love them as well.

I rarely get a compliment on an important news pieces I busted my butt on but I received glowing emails after my feature on the shy, always-picked-last student who loved his school and team so much he graduated, went to trade school and returned to get a job as sports equipment and grounds manager. I sometimes start my best features and photos on the upper fold of my front pages and found these papers flew off the racks compared to having a front page picture of a city council member.

1. Look for the positive. Take a fresh look at your community and instead of looking for what needs to be fixed, look at what is working.
2. Know that everyone has a story. You just need to be a good enough reporter to find it.
3. Read good features. I teach “If you are going to be a good writer, you have to be a good reader.” If you want to be a sizzling romance author, you better be a hungry reader of such. The same is true of features.
4. Learn not to be a just news reporter. Writing features often requires patients, sensibility and sometimes compassion. Other posts on Ninja Journalism contain examples of how to talk with people, break the ice, make people comfortable how to find stories.

If you don’t have a good feature writer, get one. If you can’t afford one, be one.

What seems like trivial information to a news story can be developed into a feature. I was reporting a basic sports story about an outstanding student athlete and found she has a graduated older sister and mother who were all track champions as well. I did not simply mention the family in the story, I interviewed them all, included photos of each in sports action, and made that family prodigy of champions the focus of my story.

Here are a couple of my features already posted on Ninja Journalism:

Amazing cancer cure story

A peaceful storm

I encourage you to put the “human” in human interest stories.

Humans are interesting. Just ask one and find out.

Share your thoughts at amosnews@yahoo.com

Arsonist cannot stop small brave newspaper

I have another new hero.

I admire when reporters and newspapers stand up to political pressure or have no fear when it comes to printing controversy. My last such hero was John Daniel Garcia of the Big Bend Sentinel in south Texas and this week I salute the Rio Grande Sun newspaper in Espanola, New Mexico.

The Rio Grande Sun has a reputation of exposing political corruption and finding scandals in school districts and public offices. Doing such reporting is difficult for two reasons: One, because when researching controversy the parties involved not only do not return your phone calls but also try to turn sources against you. And two, reporting is made more difficult because the powers-that-be often try to use their supposed clout to pressure you into shutting the hell up.

When you continually do not shut the hell up, as the Sun has, you may get retribution. The lobby of the Rio Grande Sun office has pretty rocks on display – all of which have been thrown through their windows. The building has also been shot at and windows shot out during the night.

Earlier this week someone broke in and caught their office on fire.

Damage was limited and by the afternoon the team was pretty much back to operating as usual, printing a statement defying the arsonist and promising that such acts only make those that love the freedom of the press try even harder to exercise it.

So here’s to my new heroes, the people of the Rio Grande Sun. Tonight I salute you with a honey lager.

Tell me when you learn of a heroic reporter or newspaper, amosnews@yahoo.com

Photo editing debate continues

I blogged a year ago about photo manipulation for journalism (here). Now, actions by judges of the 2015 World Press Photo Competition have forced the subject center stage.

To manipulate and to what degree to manipulate photos for journalism has been a subject of mine since I first got my hands on Photoshop 4.0 in 1996. 

During a photo seminar sponsored by the North and East Texas Press Association, one hundred percent of photographers I spoke with said none whatsoever, when it comes to manipulating a photo beyond slight contrast and clarity. I added heat to this class discussion I started by pointing out every time you crop a picture you are altering the photo. Him: "That's different." Me: "Different in what way?" Him: "...Uh. It just is!"

No, I’m not talking about Photoshoping  Obama with a stripper on his lap in a bar. I’m talking about improving a photo without altering the information therein.

There are many sides to this saga, so read up and begin drawing your own conclusion.

Read this informative article by The New York Times. The article contains various opinions from nine professionals.

Tell me your thoughts on the subject, amosnews@yahoo.com

https://archive.nytimes.com/lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/17/world-press-photo-manipulation-ethics-of-digital-photojournalism/?utm_source=APIs+Need+to+Know+newsletter&utm_campaign=a02c814953-Need_to_Know_February_18_20152_18_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e3bf78af04-a02c814953-45802581&_r=1

The ( - ) Hyphen Strikes Back

Mr. Hyphen Face

Let's talk hyphens. You know, that little punctuation symbol of connectivity. We use

it often when connecting a collection of words to make one noun, such as sister-in-law. I wrote about hyphens here, where I talk about the evolution of some compound words.

It is most used in error when it is unknowingly left, and the rules are kind of squishy.

Here are some examples of where they are important:

1. Susan decided to resign her employment contract. (We'll miss you, Susan)
Susan decided to re-sign her employment contract. (It great to have you, Susan)

2. Jacob recovered the chair. (It was stolen and he got it back)
Jacob re-covered the chair. (Now it the chair looks nice)

3. I saw a man eating shark. (Yum! I love seafood)
I saw a man-eating shark. (Yikes! Get out of the water!)

4. The battalion was made up of six foot soldiers. (A half-dozen soldiers)
The battalion was made up of six-foot soldiers. (Tall guys)

5. We found ourselves in a dirty movie theater. (Popcorn was everywhere)
We found ourselves in a dirty-movie theater. (X-rated movie)

My thanks to the Society of Professional Journalist for bringing these little buggers to my attention in their news feed. You should follow SPJ on Facebook.

A co-worker once wanted me to correct and use "coworker," but I wouldn't budge because coworker looks funny, like you are saying "cow orker." It turned out my instincts were right, according to AP Style. However, I do disagree on a couple of AP Style rules, as you will find elsewhere in this blog.

You can reach Christopher at amosnews@yahoo.com

Remembering 9/11

Things I remember from the morning of September 11, 2001.

When President Ronald Reagan was shot March of 1981, I was a floor director at a NBC television affiliate in Texas and I remember running to the studio repeatedly, throwing on lights and cuing the anchor to interrupt programming every time we had a morsel of information. The first broadcasts varied, the president had been shot, no he had not been shot but someone else was, the president has really been shot. The newsroom and studio were chaotic again two months later when Pope John Paul II was shot.

School children gather to pray under a flag pole the morning of 9-11.

I remember when President Kennedy was killed. I was in first grade and our school walked to River Oaks Boulevard in Fort Worth, Texas to see the president and Mrs. Kennedy's motorcade drive by. An hour later we were kneeling by our desks fearfully crying and praying.

9/11 was like that for me without the crying, but certainly with the praying. 

I do not watch TV in the morning but woke early that morning and for some reason turned on the TV. I hurriedly called my editor while dressing and before rushing out the door to my newspaper office I watched the second plane hit live.

We are a community newspaper and only report how national events effect our area. I learned all schools and government buildings were on guarded lock down so I grabbed my camera and ran to a private school across from our office. 

There was an assembly outside at the flag pole and after speaking with faculty, took a photos of children praying under the flag pole and rushed back to met our deadline. I had box on the lower front page added to encourage readers to report gas gouging to a federal telephone number because some gas stations across the nation were raising prices tremendously to prey on the panicking public.

I also remember emphasizing that we get information correct, because many networks repeatedly referred to “…the attacks in New York and Washington DC.” However, the Pentagon is in Virginia, not nearby Washington D.C. which is across the boarder.

The next morning everything was different, and things haven't been the same since.

You can reach me at amosnews@yahoo.com

Business phone eitiquette

This is not a journalist-specific post, so share this with any office.

March 10, 1876 Alexander Bell spoke the infamous words, “Watson, come here. I need you,” through his experimental phone. What Watson said in response is not recorded in history because phone etiquette had not been invented.

Of all the digital tools and technology we have to make our work easier, the most important device is more than 100 years old, and by tweaking our phone habits we can be more efficient with it.

These are things I do:

1. Have a pen and something to write on before answering the phone.
2. Answer with a nice voice and don't make the caller feel as though they are an interruption.
3. State your name, even with your personal phone. "Hello, this is Christopher." Add your business to the greeting if you are in an office.
4. Repeat your first name before asking the name of the caller. If the person asks to speak with another person or department, you may say “My name is ___. May I tell them who is calling?” Offering your name builds a relationship between you and the caller.
5. When you inform the co-worker or department of the call, tell them the name of the caller and reason of the call. That way they can prepare for what is waiting for them on the line and they can use the information and name when they answer the phone.
6. If a person or department is not available, offer to take a message. Then tell the caller “I will give ___ the message.” Do not tell the caller “I will have her call you,” because you are promising something you can't guarantee.

If you are on the receiving end of a forwarded call, do not burden the caller saying "Hello" and making the caller start all over with what they just told the person taking the call:

1. Have a pen and something to write on before picking up the phone.

2. Immediately use the caller's name and refer to the subject. The caller will enjoy your courtesy and you will save time by getting right to the point. For instance, a call may be forwarded this way: “Stella, Kenton is on the line asking about rates and billing options.” You pick up the phone and say, “Hi, Kenton. This is Stella. I understand you have questions about our rates.” The caller does not have to repeat everything they just said and the two of you can get right down to business. Plus, the caller will think you are smart and efficient.

You save time, make customers happy and build relationships simply by the way you handle phone calls. Even an irritated caller can be softened by your professionalism.

Use your name with your personal cell phone if you use it for business. I do it even when friends call.

 

Also, no silly ring tones! Nothing is more annoying than ♫♪“I'm Your Boogie Man” or some stupid sound going off in the office.

 

You're welcome.

Christopher  amosnews@yahoo.com