Welcome to the June issue of The Digital Journalist, the monthly online magazine for visual journalism.

After completing his military service with the Israel Defense Forces, young photographer Jonathon Torgovnik decided to spend some time traveling while pondering the future direction of his life. He wound up in Bombay, India, where he began to train his camera on the world's largest movie industry. that produces thousands of feature films every year, filled with lust, love, violence and dance. . This month his beautiful book, "Bollywood Dreams" arrives in stores, and we are pleased to be able to present a gallery of the photographs.

Roger Hutchings has spent years photographing Berlin, one of the most dynamic and evocative of cities, as it has gone through the transition from post-war Germany, and the crumbling of the Iron curtain. Our contributing editor Grazia Neri introduces his gallery..

In 2001, Corbis, the agency owned by Bill Gates, generated a storm of criticism when it decided to move all the photographs of the Bettmann archives from Manhattan to a mine 200 feet below the surface in Western Pennsylvania. The Digital Journalist was recently invited to tour the facility, and we were surprised at what we found. Our special report, along with a video movie is among our features.

Photojournalists have provided us with some of the most incredible conflict pictures covering the war in Iraq, many of which we have run in the past two issues. Now, many of them are coming home, and for some, the readjustment process can be more daunting than combat. I have been through this decompression myself, and I offer some advice in my commentary.

In her column , Amy Bowers addresses the same issue in a fictional story about a cameraman returning to the daily assignment grind after covering the war.

Jim Bartlett thought he had become a retired war photographer. Then his marriage fell apart, and Fredericksburg Va was looking pretty dull. So he closed up the house and headed for Iraq. He tells about getting back into action.

After a lifetime in television news, Mark Monsky reflects on the value of journalism schools, and offers some suggestions.

After 15 years, Barbara Sadick was forced to close her photo agency Matrix earlier this year. The agency was a victim of the relentless pressures and changes in an industry in transition. Contributing Editor Peter Howe tells her story in "Matrix Unloaded."

Photojournalist Greg Davis passed away suddenly in Tokyo last month. Phillip Jones Griffiths pays a tribute to his friend and colleague.

Poynter's Ken Irby points up the achievements Howell Raines made at the NY Times, before being caught up in the Jonathon Blair scandal, which resulted in his resignation.

Steve Smith recounts his harrowing adventure in a helicopter covering the Pope's visit to Poland in 1983.

Mark Loundy calls on the National Press Photographers Association to increase their support of free-lance photographers who are under attack from publications which increasing demand more rights for less money.

Bill Pierce returns to the subject of the argument between still analog (film) and digital in his Nuts and Bolts column "Beyond The Daily Newspaper."

A last minute reminder, we still have a few shoot n'edit positions open at our Platypus Workshop, starting in Ventura on June 21. Read Amy Bower's report on last year's workshop at http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0205/bowers.htm. To reserve a spot in this workshop, or our new Advanced Platypus Workshop starting July 5, please send me an email at dhalstead@dvnetwork.net.

We hope you enjoy this issue.

Dirck Halstead
Editor and Publisher

IN THIS MONTH’S ASSIGNMENT SHEET

This month's ASSIGNMENT SHEET features three journals from working press photographers. Well, two working journalists and one retired dinosaur.

Mark Neuling, a videographer for Tech TV relates the problems of covering The Chief. Yes, I mean the Prez of the U.S. himself. We all know that you just don't walk up to where The Man is appearing and just say, "Hi. I'm here to cover the President." No, no, no. It just doesn't work that way and Mark tells us why in his journal, "CONVERSATIONS WHILE WAITING FOR GEORGE."

T.C. Baker, a staffer for the Victoria Advocate (TX) found himself in the middle of a huge breaking story in his neck of the woods and shows us what it was like with a photo essay in his journal, "18 IMMIGRANTS DEAD, PART 1 AND PART 2."

Retired Newsday (Long Island, NY) staff photographer Dick Kraus is still dreaming. Strange Dreams. He talks about it in his journal, "DREAMS."

Dick Kraus
Editor
The Assignment Sheet on The Digital Journalist

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