Photos of reporters in print/online

Wanted to throw this out there...
I've seen in my local daily product a trend that bothers me of late. Some of the photos have featured a sports reporter interviewing the subject and getting prominent play.
Funny, but I thought the story wasn't about the reporter, but what do I know? Just want to see what you all think of the idea. Smart? Stupid? Lazy? Ethical? I'm curious. Thanks for sharing.

 

We had a reporter at a former shop who was notorious for sending in photos that showed another reporter, primarily TV, in it.

 

Thanks to me, we have a policy against having pics of reporters in the paper.
It doesn't even involve a pic of me, or a pic of a reporter being published in the paper.
Several years ago, our then-entertainment editor interviewed Bono before a concert, then watched the concert from the photo area with our photographer.
During the concert, Bono bends over and plants a big kiss on the editor, and our photog snaps a pic of it.
They're at the office the next day and the photog prints a copy of the pic — again, it was never published — and gives it to the editor.
Big laughs all around, special memories, etc.
After she leaves, I run the pic through the copier and place copies around the office.
Some are easily found and seen, while others are hidden — under papers on desks, in drawers, placed in folders, etc. — and some, I believe, have yet to be found.
Again, laughs all around.
Except for one person.
It wasn't the editor; she thought it was hilarious.
One of the reporters said she was offended by seeing a pic of the kissing couple and made a complaint. Of course, she complained about everything (she once complained she felt sexually harassed because the sports editor's computer had a pic of Homer Simpson bowling on it and it showed a bit of Homer's butt crack) so none of us thought much of it.
But since there was a formal complaint, management felt it had to do "something" so we got a company policy that forbid pics of reporters being published in the paper.

 

Can't see the problem. That made everyone happy. That is what Bono was talking about when he said laugh at ISIS.

Make 'em laugh: Bono says use Amy Schumer to fight ISIS

 

Sometimes it's unavoidable. Pictures of a postgame scrum or trophy celebration, for example, might be the best shot you can get.
I used to get in about one picture per baseball season. I sit in the dugout at high school games, and if the photographer was shooting from the opposite side of the field I'd sometimes wind up in the shot. Had one editor who got mad at me and said I ruined a shot that way, even though I was out of focus and well in the background. Seemed kind of silly to me.

They definitely should be the exception and not the rule, though. A picture of a player being interviewed seems lazy unless there's a good reason you can't pull the player aside and get something better.

 

Not sure why this is funny but it is.

 

Reporters are too poor for haircuts... or foreheads.

 

A tip for journalists who have their mugshots in the paper: Wear a button-up shirt instead of a jersey or T-shirt, and leave the cap at home.

 

Wait, what?

 

Talking high school here, of course. Not college or pro leagues that have actual rules against it.
Started doing it years ago at this one particular field that had a "grandstand" that was actually a grassy hill, and no netting to protect it. It was an uncomfortable death trap. So I asked the coach if he minded me sitting in the dugout and he said yes. I eventually started doing it with all of our local teams since I rarely need to write something during the actual game.
I look at it like walking the sideline during a football game. As long as you act professionally and the coaches are OK with it, why not? Over the years, I've learned a hell of a lot about the intricacies of the game from it. It also helps me get to know some of the kids and bounce some in-game questions off them and the coaches.
Of course, now that I have to shoot pictures and write a story I don't really have a choice but to be down there.

 

It depends on the story really. Like say a story from media day. Could end up writing about how a team's star running back was the center of attention but wasn't comfortable in the limelight. In that case, the reporters grouped around him is the shot that tells the story best. But in general, you don't want it.

I was in one photo that we ran a few years ago at the PGA Championship. Was along the ropes watching, and the photo was a wide shot. No one would know our sports editor and I were on the ropes if we weren't pointed out. Hell, I barely recognized us.

 

I have been in the background of a few published photos, completely inadvertently... but also usually wearing a brightly colored shirt.

We used to run a headshot with every staff byline, not just columns (and nobody did true columns anyway, just notebooks). I never really understood the rationale, but I got a totally airbrushed headshot out of it.