THE REPORTER-CENTRIC WORLD OF NEWSPAPERS

by Ben Woodruff
Photo Editor- Rocky Mountain Collegian
Fort Collins, CO.

Scribes rule the world.

Yes, a generalization, but at least in my little corner, this seems to be true.

© Ben Woodruff/The Rocky Mountain Collegian Colorado State University's automated daily email system seems to be a source for the majority of our stories.

I realize I’m in early in the game, before most people start to figure this stuff out, but I’m still trying hard to get the editors of my newspaper to realize that good photos and design make our newspaper better. The entire newsroom seems to be polarized against the photo staff.  From best I can tell, this came from years of unprofessional photo staffs that bent over backwards for the reporting staff.  Now that I’m the photo editor, it seems to be nearly impossible to get anything done from a photojournalism standpoint, outside the standard ideas of the photo staff serving as a way to illustrate stories and break up the copy.

On a photo staff of five, there are two photojournalists and three photographers.  There is a major difference between the two.  Photojournalists can and do tell a story in an image, photographers seem to be able to shoot properly exposed, focused photos that do nothing more than illustrate the reporters story.  All I ask of photographers is to cover the assignments at the correct time and to write a complete cutline.  I won’t like every photo they shoot, but complete accurate cutlines are absolutely essential in the photojournalism process.  For a long time I had problems getting photographers to shoot assignments, much less write good cutlines.  Why should college age photographers be so reluctant to work hard and make themselves better?  Is there a time in your career that you should be more fired-up and hungry than in college?  I am not a manager that is willing to drag people along, as I would much rather lead by example.
 
The problems in the newsroom start at the top with the managing editors.  During a planning session for a September 11 anniversary issue, I was discussing stories that we should have, and pointed out that the current recession wasn’t a result of the terrorist attacks, rather that the attacks only compounded the problem. The News Managing Editor said we just finished that recession and were in a new one that was a result of the attacks.  I replied that at least from an economics standpoint, having another recession would indicate a period of growth between the two, to which the ME responded, “How would you know? You’re just a photographer.”  I regularly read the Wall Street Journal and have more than a basic understanding of economics.  I have as much or more professional experience as anyone in the newsroom, and have proven that I have a good news sense, so why the attitude towards photographers?

The entire newsroom and photo assignment system is setup around reporters and word editors.  One of the first things I did as Photo Editor was to allow only editors to assign photos, thinking this would create more complete, well-thought out assignments.  In theory; great idea - in practice; horrible execution.  Typically reporters don’t give the editors enough information to fill out an assignment, thus defeating the whole system. Case in point, the entertainment staff was working on a story about homosexual dating and marriage for their weekly section.  Rather than give the photo staff a couple weeks to work on such a sensitive story, the lesbian couple came in to the newsroom on the day before we publish, and had what amounted to a mug shot taken.  To use a baseball analogy, we end up with a sacrifice bunt photo on what should have been a double or triple photo assignment.

© Josh Hardin/The Rocky Mountain Collegian This is the photo we ended up with out of the lesbian dating and marriage story. This really doesn't tell me anything about them, the challenges they face as a married couple, or the aspects of life as a homosexual.

In an effort to create a better synergy between words, visuals and design, I advocated the institution of a Maestro system, an industry standard for planning stories.  I figure that if I lead a majority of the Maestros, photo will have more of a say in the subjects we shoot for stories.  I suggested this during our first editors meetings, before we even started publication.  3 months and 60 newspapers later, not one Maestro, not one preplanned, in-depth story.  We represent ourselves as a liberal newspaper, endorse liberal candidates for office, and yet won’t do anything outside of the status quo for the structure and planning of the newspaper.  Protecting the status quo, seems to be a conservative ideal to me.

© Ben Woodruff/The Rocky Mountain Collegian "It's more effective than yelling...treating people with respect and decency," says Adam Fedock, a freshman mechanical engineering student from Bozeman, Mont. Fedock and two other CSU students spend afternoons on the Lory Student Center Plaza holding a large peace sign and wishing pedestrians well. In the 10 minutes it took me to do this assignment, I did a more complete job of journalism than the reporter did with an hour. A better quote for my cutline and a complete story between the photo and caption.

I’m sure I’m being hypercritical, but I am compelled to do so.  I feel that since no one else in an editor’s position will push people outside their comfort zones, that I must.  The journalist in me won’t just go along without asking questions, and the perfectionist in me has to push for higher quality work. I realize that I am trying to take a little power from the word people.  I’m not asking too much, I’m trying to do my part to help the newspaper.  But for whatever reason, they are unable or unwilling to change.  Remember that at the end of the day, we are only be judged by our output.  It may seem close-minded but the only thing I have learned from working at the Collegian is that management isn’t for me.  It takes too much time away from shooting, requires too much time of seeing the same long faces in the newsroom, and is way too stressful.

The scariest part of the whole mess though, is the incredible feeling of uncertainty I get about my future in photojournalism.  When I was freelancing, working in professional newspapers, I knew I could do this.  Now with the squabble over little stuff and the amount of stress it causes me, I’m beginning to doubt my future.  How am I supposed to make it in the real world, if I burn out of a college newspaper in 4 months?
 
 
Ben Woodruff
benjwoodruff@attbi.com