A week away from home, work and newspapers is gone in a flash.
Having been forced to take two unpaid weeks off this year working at a Gannett property Matt Detrich asked me what kind of vacation I was on. My reply – the old fashion kind – paid. We haven’t gotten to that point in Akron so that is good news. Catching up with my e-mail after a week I see there is very little other good news to share.
Following the lead of their sister paper in Warren the Lisbon Morning Journal has cut the photo staff to one person forcing Aaron Rudolph to the unemployment lines after eight years at the paper. Rudolph was a consistent winner in the clips and year-end contests during his time at Lisbon so this wasn’t a case of poor performance. As it had in Warren, Ogden Newspapers has elected to pass out digital cameras to reporters to replace staff photography. We wish nothing but the best for Rudolph whose second daughter was born earlier this month.
It appears GateHouse Ohio Media doesn’t consider its photographers as journalists. That coming from Kevin M. Kampman, publisher of The (Canton) Repository commenting on the paper’s agreement with the city of Canton to publish its quarterly magazine. Kampman is quoted on the newspaper’s Web site that, “This business relationship does not involve our newspaper newsrooms and will not shape the independent coverage decisions made by GateHouse Ohio journalists”.
The story goes on to say that the city is responsible for all of the written content and has final approval before the pages are printed and that GateHouse Ohio Media will supply the photography and artwork for the publication.
Repository staff photographers routinely do work specifically for the city and this has been going on even before this new arrangement to produce the quarterly magazine for the city. Well Mr. Kampman I’m probably not the first to tell you this, but your staff photographers are journalists and have no business in doing any sort of work for the city of Canton. The last time I checked photographers are part of the newsroom. Check with your managing editor, if he’s got any guts he’ll tell you the same thing.
An Akron reserve police officer is the latest to think his police powers extend to censoring legitimate news gathering. Richard Culp, a 12-year reserve officer working security at the Akron library deleted images and video made by Maurice Howard of rescuers working to free a 5-year-old who had become trapped between the library’s revolving door and its enclosure. Full story on the Akron Beacon Journal Web site.
Two more Ohio photographers have had images selected by editors at MSNBC for The Week in Pictures gallery. J.D. Pooley at the Sentinel-Tribune has a photo of an overturned tractor-trailer on U.S. 6, which was hauling meat byproducts, in the gallery. Jonthan Quilter of The Columbus Dispatch also has a feature photo selected. Quilter just recently returned to shooting full time after working as a photo editor the past few years. Apparently not a lot of dust gathered on the cameras.
The March clip contest results came in right before I left town and I will get those posted a soon as the points are tabulated. We are dealing with a bad judging chairman for the February contest. Contest chairman Neal Lauron was told over two weeks ago that they were judged and results would be coming. Right now we have no results and the individual is not returning my e-mail queries. Might be a good idea to get a national database started for contest chairs to let others know who is dependable or in this case, who is not.
The Akron Beacon Journal is currently looking at having the paper printed someone other than Akron. The obvious alternatives are Canton or Cleveland, both of which have a smaller web than currently in place at Akron. Apparently that is the driving force behind the decision to print elsewhere. The paper had been looking at going to a tab format as an alternative to the smaller web, but apparently advertisers weren’t receptive to the idea. It wasn’t going over very well in the newsroom for that matter, but I’m sure the newsroom’s opinion doesn’t carry the same weight as the revenue arm.
The New York Times launched a new photo blog today to showcase the paper’s photography. Similar in format to Boston.com’s The Big Picture the blog will showcase visual journalism from their own staff as well as the best of other newspapers, magazines and picture agencies.