Orlando photogs, you may re-apply ... NOW

Sentinel's photography staff is essentially fired, told to re-apply by today for new, more video-centric positions. Sounds familiar.

https://nppa.org/news/photo-upheaval-orlando-sentinel

 

Right-to-work state, yo.

 

Translation: Let's take the ONE thing TV stations do way better than newspapers — shooting video — and focus on that.

If anyone knows a newspaper web site with decent-quality news videos on it, please provide us a link.

Most of the video I've seen is a whole lot of sources talking into a smart phone camera (or worse, selfies of reporters talking into said devices), shaky video submitted by readers, or long, unedited police camera footage.

Who's going to click on that?

 

Some folks will, but I'm not disputing your overall opinion, believe me. Between trying to shoot stills for a gallery, keep stats, tweeting and shooting crap video, my work is mediocre often enough it sometimes makes me sick.

 

The minute I click on what seems to be an interesting link and it takes me to a video . . . I close the page.

Remember that story last week about the baby that had to be resuscitated on the highway, and Miami Herald photographer Al Diaz happened to be there?

It was a nice story. It had great photos. It did not need video.

 

From the story:

Oh, bullshit. A memo and training would have sufficed. This is about cutting salaries and jobs.

Just fucking admit it, and move on. No need for lying or corporate mumbo-jumbo.

Frankly, all the photogs ought to take a couple of sick days at the same time. Screw up the firing deadlines, if nothing else.

 

One of the last times the Sentinel let photographers go one of them committed suicide.

 

Most likely at a cut in pay too.

No worries about pension payments.

 

That's awful. Sorry to learn of it.

 

This. My shop went through that bullshit several years ago and thankfully we got past it.

 

Liut I can relate to that. Not only myself, but most other sports writers from around my area. Even the preps writer at the big 100,000 circ. paper in my area has to do all that himself too.

I've watched the view numbers for the videos I've shot. Generally speaking, while the average game article and picture gallery will get thousand(s) of views, the video from that same game will get 1/10. But we still have to do the video, along with all stat/notekeeping needed to write article(s) on the game, photos for photo gallery, and tweeting during the game. And I'll be the first to admit my video, while I think is above the average Mom with a camera in the stands, is no where near the quality of TV.

 

I completely agree. If a newspaper website really wants to compete with TV video they probably have to purchase decent cameras and train employees how to use them. Of course very few newspapers would actually do that.