What happened in the industry this month?

 

#ONPA MATTERS

It’s all about us.

1/ As you’ve hopefully heard by now, it’s election season and we need your help! Follow this link for more information.

Barbara Perenic will be stepping down in her current role as Treasurer of the Board of the Trustees. She will remain a Board member through elections. We thank her for all her help and enthusiasm over the years. Please take some time a send her a note of gratitude.

The secretary role continues to remain open since Gaelen Morse moved away for a new job.

Kim, Sam, and I remain on board in our current roles to see through the business of the organization. Also working behind the scenes is Bob DeMay. I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shoutout as well to our rockstar clip contest chairs over in Toledo, Jeremy Wadsworth and Becca Benson. Also, many thanks to outgoing still contest chair, Adam Cairns.

Thank you all so much!

And as always, if you have any questions, comments, or just want to chat, my virtual remote door is open.

2/ The Larry Fullerton Photojournalism Scholarship application criteria have been updated to reflect the changing nature of the industry. What does this mean? I’m glad you asked! After careful review last year, we realized that the previous rules essentially limited potential applicants to an exclusive educational path – one limited by those enrolled specifically in a PJ program. It has now been updated with the blessing of The Dayton Foundation. What’s more, the application itself is fully electronic via a fillable .pdf. CD’s and jump-drives are no longer required. If you’re reading this, please share with educators, students, and all that may care. Thank you.

 

#OTHER INDUSTRY MATTERS

Where to begin? Where to end?

1/ IndyStar – Looking for a fellowship nearby? The annual Pulliam Journalism Fellowship application process is now open, but ends Nov. 3. Get on it!

“Join us for the summer of 2024. The Indianapolis Star and The Arizona Republic, Gannett Co. newspapers, are seeking college students and new graduates with a talent for reporting, photojournalism, digital production or audio for an exciting and demanding journalism fellowship program.”

2/ PetaPixel – I tend to appreciate a lot of their articles, especially for the topical subject matter that serve as reminders of where we’ve been and where we might be going. This one’s fun: Cameras That Changed Photography Forever

3/ News about nonprofit news:

• American Journalism Project – The impact of nonprofit news: a look at new research
• E&P – The myth of nonprofit media immunity. A deep dive into sustainability. This is an opinion piece, and only stretches seven graphs. So, read into it what you will.
• NeimanReports – 9 Hard Truths About Reviving Local News
• SignalAkron – Sister newsroom to SignalCleveland, which launched about a year ago, they’re really close to launch … T-minus 10, 9, 8 …. and counting.

4/ Buffalo News – Photos: The final press run at The Buffalo News. Excellent essay of the last print run of the Buffalo News by staff photographer, Derek Gee. The print edition is now going to be printed in Cleveland at the Plain Dealer’s facility, and shipped back to Buffalo for distribution. Make that make sense!

5/ WaPo – In an opinion piece, the newspaper weighs in on the NYT decision to reduce story length.

6/ NBC4I.com (Columbus) – Pilot arrested after losing control of drone over Ohio Stadium during Buckeyes game, records say

7/ Ashland Times-Gazette – Update: ‘The university has backed down’: AU will not review student newspaper before publication (subscription required)

8/ AI – It’s everywhere.

• RestOfWorld – How AI reduces the world to stereotypes
• NYT – #job: Generative AI lead, pays $180-220k
• WaPo – Mysterious bylines appeared on a USA Today site. Did these writers exist?
• Engadget – Leica’s M11-P is a disinformation-resistant camera built for wealthy photojournalists: “The Leica M11-P launch will advance the CAI’s goal of empowering photographers everywhere to attach Content Credentials to their photographs at the time of capture,” Santiago Lyon, Head of Advocacy and Education at CAI, said in a press statement, “creating a chain of authenticity from camera to cloud and enabling photographers to maintain a degree of control over their art, story and context.”
• NYT – Socio-political impacts of the misinformation and disinformation machine in wartime: A.I. Muddies Israel-Hamas War in Unexpected Way
• X (the website formerly known as Twitter) – Mike Mulholland, a freelance sports photographer based in Detroit and author of popular account “So, you want to be a sports photographer?” via (at)missed_photo, created a bit of a ‘photo-Twitter’ storm after calling out a another photographer for use of generative fill – apparently passing it off as a real photographic moment, in his opinion. One photographer works in journalism, the other in content creation currently for Ohio State. That Tweet is here. 

  As one would imagine, the exchange is ugly, and emblematic of the perils of social media in this age of unending communication failures. I’ve been there and do not recommend “rage-Tweeting”, or whatever the kids call it now.

  The approach to AI is a huge problem for sure. Why? For lack of a better explanation, wrongly attempting to figure it out as we go is the distilled reason.

   

  Many inside and out of the industry are working hard to address the matter – see: Content Authenticity Initiative. Others have fully embraced the technology. And I suspect even more are indifferent – namely, the general public interested in viewing sports photographs similar to what was originally Tweeted out.

   

  My point? Pause those rage-Tweets.

   

  Take a deep breath. Step back from your device, and think about why it is you want to say what you want to say. Identify the pro’s and con’s to what you’re about to sent out into the ether. Maybe phone a friend and talk about it. Better yet, sit down face-to-face with someone and talk about the subject matter bothering you. Chances are, that Tweet or post won’t be necessary. Or maybe it will be, but better crafted and far more beneficial than calling someone out in the aforementioned manner.

   

• aphotoeditor – Do your T&C’s reflect the evolving nature of AI?

9/ PetaPixel – You may have seen this photograph appearing across social media earlier in the month. It comes as no surprise to the keen eye. What will become of the money though?

10/ The Portager (Portage Co.) – Local online independent startup run by Ben Wolford, a KSU-grad, has begun weekly print subscription services to subscriber mailboxes – big step for an independent. Congratulations Ben!

#PEOPLE

Movement, Highlights & More

1/ The Messenger News – Philadelphia Journalist Josh Kruger Found Shot and Killed After Home Invasion

2/ E&P – Great interview on Kent Porter, staff photojournalist at the Press Democrat in Calif., of 37 years. His “beat” has been wildfire photography for the longest time, but he’s one of the most well rounded working photojournalists out there, covering so much more required of a contemporary news photographer.

3/ The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.) – How Kent Porter nailed iconic Loma Prieta photo on Bay Bridge

Kent Porter has appeared in this newsletter before this edition, as well as the entry above, and I admit to being a fanboy. His work is top-notch. Here’s a great feature on his reportage from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which affected so many in and around the Bay Area. Specifically, his story is about making a photo that ran the world around.

3/ KSU – FOCUSING ON THE MAN BEHIND THE CAMERA: Bob Christy, Kent State’s senior photography coordinator and friend of ONPA, profiled in recent article. Bob has worked a news staff job or two – starting out at the Times-Reporter of Tuscarawas County.

4/ Marcus Yam – Friend of ONPA and recent keynote speak for last year’s ONPA conference, Marcus has returned to conflict coverage, recently dispatched by his employer – the LATimes, to cover the conflict between Israel and Hamas, largely affecting innocent civilians on both sides – and beyond. You can follow along with his coverage via most contemporary social media channels, though he is most active on X as well as limited Facebook posts.

 

#RESOURCES and #INSPIRATIONS

Helpful things and eye-catchers

1/ From the LATimes’ historical archives – ‘Beer and baseball at the 1959 World Series’. What’s particularly remarkable here is that two photographers from different angles made a picture of nearly the same exact moment from an era sans-motordrives and auto focus!

2/ Flatout Games – “Fit to Print” is a puzzly tile-laying game about breaking news, designed by Peter McPherson and set in a charming woodland world created by Ian O’Toole!

This looks really fun; though, most of us have, or continue to do layouts – all be it with a digital-first mindset. ; )

3/ Richard Bernabe – One of my favorite wildlife photographers working worldwide, here, he offers up essential tips about photographing fall colors.

4/ Photomechanic – Heads up users of outdated operating systems, you’ll need to update … everything.

 

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