Hell hath no fury like a pissed-off photographer
A local one-man-band reporter appears to have angered a rather-bitter television photographer during a recent press conference. Have a look at this message board thread on b-roll.net, where the author talks about shoving the reporter out of the way and keeping her from getting a few shots, in retaliation for walking into some shots. Overkill anyone?
The reporter isn't identified, nor is the station. And while I can't confirm what was posted, I'll let you draw your own conclusions. Here's mine: that photog is an asshole.
UPDATE: Please read the comments for a clarification on this matter.
The reporter isn't identified, nor is the station. And while I can't confirm what was posted, I'll let you draw your own conclusions. Here's mine: that photog is an asshole.
UPDATE: Please read the comments for a clarification on this matter.
posted by Howard Beale at 6:11 PM
12 Comments:
I'm not sure who the photog is but I'm guessing he is talking about WYOU's Laurie Monteforte. And wow, I can honestly say what a whiny butthole he sounds like. I'm guessing Monroe Bureau?
From reading the whole thread, which includes the photog's full explanation of the circumstances way down, I'd say he may have over-reacted to what he described as the One Man Band's selfish "staying in front" behaviour. I'd hit both of them with a pie, tell them to go to their rooms for an hour, and make a good Act of Contrition.
The photog who posted the initial article did go on to say the reporter was purposely getting in the way, and despite a few "hints," wasn't getting it.
I still think what he did was rude, but if the reporter did what he said she did, then it sounds like Nexstar should teach its new one-man-bands a thing about shooting courtesy.
It does sound like Laurie Monteforte was the reporter mentioned in the thread, as the photog said the reporter worked for the "lowest rated" station, or what have you. She and WBRE's Carmen Grant work out of Nexstar's Stroudsburg bureau.
Well, WNEP doesn't employ one-man-bands except for Steve Lloyd and Paul Grippi in sports, who occassionally shoot their own stuff. The person in question has to be from WBREYOU.
It seems someone needs to teach the WYOU reporter/photog some rules of courtesy and professionalism. Period. I don't care if the other photog was "rude" or not. It appears that he got screwed over by the "one person band" so he was going to return the favor. Good for him for standing up for himself and his work. Teach these little punk wannabee journalists some decorum before sending them out.
I wonder how this photog would have reacted if, instead of a one man band, it was another photog. Would this Philly photog have reacted the way he did with WYOU's reporter? I think not. Seems this photog has a lot of animosity towards the one man band idea, and decided to take it out on the reporter.
Personally, I like the one man band idea. It won't replace the reporter/photog combo, but it has its place in the newsroom. Too bad station managers see it purely as a way to save money so they can give themselves a fatter paycheck.
The only people who oppose the one man band idea are bitter photogs who do nothing more than spray and shoot their video, and are now afraid they'll actually have to do some REAL work.
"Teach these little punk wannabee journalists some decorum before sending them out."
---so now it is the reporters fault that company won't pay a photog to go out with them. Just because they have to shoot there own stuff doesn't mean they are a "wannabee journalist."
couldn't agree more...one man bands are not "wannabe journalists," they're real journalists who unfortunately work for a cheap shop
Coal Cracker said that "the only people who oppose the one man band idea are bitter photogs who do nothing more than spray and shoot their video, and are now afraid they'll actually have to do some REAL work."
What does that mean? Are you calling anyone opposed to that idea lazy? Do you know what a real photographer does? Are you a photographer? Are you aware that a real photographer all too frequently has to one man band stories? It's part of the job description, Cracker, "Other duties as assigned". You do it because it's your job that day. Hopefully the rest of the time you will work with a reporter and do an even more professional job together.
Laurie Monteforte e-mailed me this weekend to say she was not the person mentioned in the b-roll.net thread. She says Carmen Grant, the WBRE reporter in Stroudsburg, may have met the photog in question, but believes the story was exaggerated.
When I was one man banding, I can tell you one rule I had, for myself, ALL the time.
I was a photographer first. I had to be. I worked in teleVISION. I thought about the shots first, and got my information either along the way or after the fact.
And when you one-man, or one-person band, you must must must act like a photographer first when you are not the only journalist there. Professional courtesy goes a long way.
There is no excuse for being rude to the other crews in the field. And there is very little excuse for not knowing the unwritten rules of professional courtesy.
That said, I wish to guess what is going on here.
The one person band is new, not just to the station but to the business.
The one person band really has no interest in the shooting side of his or her job.
The one person band has no interest in improving their skills as a shooter, let alone the ins and outs of the job.
One one hand, I cannot blame them. It is tough job. However, they TOOK that job, and they need to do it properly.
And a pox on any one man band who thinks they are too good of a reporter to be bothered (for too long) with the visual aspect of the story. They aren't old enough to be arrogant about their jobs.
And a final word to those who do one man band, yet one day only wish to report. The very best television reporters I ever worked with (and I worked with over one hundred) were the ones who at one time or another had to shoot and edit their own stuff.
Soooo one man bands... tough it out, you aren't wasting your time, you are improving your skills.
Just don't act like a jerk along the way.
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