Saturday, August 20, 2005
CBC lockout X: The photo debate
I just received an invitation from another blogger to respond to his post about my contention that if the public sends a photograph to the locked-out CBC, it is crossing a picket line.
Darren Barefoot writes:
Beyond the issue of crossing the picket line, which I maintain is a valid stance, Darren's post puts me into a potential conflict of interest once the lockout is settled and I return to my job as CBCNews photo editor. So I am going to point folks to the debate among the photographic community itself.
The CBC and other news organizations around the world now routinely ask for free photos from the public and demand all rights to those photographs. During one of the recent hurricanes the American networks actually had on air promos asking for photos.
This gets to one of the issues behind the lockout and the problems with the media today when the corporate bean counters demand as many rights as possible for as little as possible.
When CBC asked for photos before the lockout the message board for the professional photographers in Eastern Canada had a vigorous debate.
You will find it at Freelancing at the CBC and you will see that many professional photographers are worried about the competition from public freebies.
I will make one comment about Darren's post where he says the CBC's "crucial role in keeping Canadians informed trumps his union’s short-term concerns." The CBC abandoned its crucial role when radio coverage of the storm was not available. Asking for a neat picture of a downed tree, whether or not it is free or paid for, has absolutely nothing to do with the public interest.
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writing, journalism, CBC, blog, news,
photography
6:25 PM posted by Robin Rowland
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I just received an invitation from another blogger to respond to his post about my contention that if the public sends a photograph to the locked-out CBC, it is crossing a picket line.
Darren Barefoot writes:
Producer Robin Rowland claims that if people submit photos of news events to the CBC, “they are electronically crossing the lockout picket line.” This is utter nonsense. Robin should remember that the CBC is a publicly-owned institution. Its crucial role in keeping Canadians informed trumps his union’s short-term concerns. If you’re considering submitting a photo, weigh the options: more-informed populace or happier, locked-out TV producer. I know which way I’m leaning.
Beyond the issue of crossing the picket line, which I maintain is a valid stance, Darren's post puts me into a potential conflict of interest once the lockout is settled and I return to my job as CBCNews photo editor. So I am going to point folks to the debate among the photographic community itself.
The CBC and other news organizations around the world now routinely ask for free photos from the public and demand all rights to those photographs. During one of the recent hurricanes the American networks actually had on air promos asking for photos.
This gets to one of the issues behind the lockout and the problems with the media today when the corporate bean counters demand as many rights as possible for as little as possible.
When CBC asked for photos before the lockout the message board for the professional photographers in Eastern Canada had a vigorous debate.
You will find it at Freelancing at the CBC and you will see that many professional photographers are worried about the competition from public freebies.
I will make one comment about Darren's post where he says the CBC's "crucial role in keeping Canadians informed trumps his union’s short-term concerns." The CBC abandoned its crucial role when radio coverage of the storm was not available. Asking for a neat picture of a downed tree, whether or not it is free or paid for, has absolutely nothing to do with the public interest.
Technorati tags
writing, journalism, CBC, blog, news,
photography
6:25 PM posted by Robin Rowland
Permanent Link
