Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Braggadocio?... Before inauguration, McClatchy bragged it would have the photo "that has never been gotten before" (updated)

Via Editor & Publisher:
But McClatchy may end up getting the closest shot of Obama's swearing in, with a camera positioned "at the foot of the podium."

"It will get a shot that has never been gotten," said Epstein. "It is a wide-angle lens and I don't think anyone has ever been that close."

George Bridges, managing editor, McClatchy Tribune photo service, said the placement took months of lobbying of the Senate Press Photo Gallery and Obama's own people. "Up until two days ago, they were still lobbying for it," he said, noting the photos will be pool images available to all pool news outlets.

Epstein said the photo will be sent to all McClatchy papers, as well as through the McClatchy-Tribune News Service. "As soon as we get it, within the first 10 minutes, the remote will come directly here."
What happened? It's 2:oo EST and the photo by Chuck Kennedy on McClatchy's main web site doesn't seem unique or memorable at all... Chief Justice John Roberts isn't even in the photo. Sacbee.com is using pool photos, not the never-been-gotten-before photo by Chuck Kennedy. Beware of bragging before you achieve.

UPDATE: At Poynter, Kenneth Irby thinks the McClatchy photo is iconic. I could be wrong, but my first impression was the photo was not memorable. Time will tell.
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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Another photo for McClatchy to hawk? Check this out, Gearino agrees with McC. W. about McClatchy selling Obama stuff, “skates along an ethical edge.”
-----------------
Barack Obama, profit center
January 20th, 2009
This is no time to begrudge the journalism industry whatever money it can earn, but the flogging of Barack Obama keepsakes by newspapers — and I’m speaking specifically of our local one, the News & Observer — skates along an ethical edge.”
---------
Question to, and Email response from N&O editor John Drescher.
Much more at:
http://www.gearino.com/

Anonymous said...

That is the best photo they can come up with? I can only scrath my head.

Kevin Gregory said...

It's funny McClatchy invested so much time and effort bragging about how superior their coverage would be.

FotoLinda said...

MCT had the photo up at 1:00 PM MCT also had the first photo from Obama's swearing in up at 12:14, 10 minutes after he was sworn in at 12:04. The remote camera images came in later in the pool of 13 photographers' images.

The Washington Bureau, whose site you are referring to about having the photo up, is a separate entity from MCT. Accordingly, the Washington Bureau did not have photographers there. MCT did. What the Washington Bureau decides to put on their website is left to their discretion, just like at all the McClatchy newspapers throughout the country.

Anonymous said...

Just wondering why this pic wasn't in our paper today?

It's not an awful photo and will be meaningful in years to come, no doubt, what with the daughters and everything. But I found the photos of the million people packed on the lawn more compelling, frankly.

Anonymous said...

Here's Poynter's story about the photo:

http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=101&aid=157334

FotoLinda said...

Check with your own papers' photo editors to find out why it wasn't in your paper. It ran pool, so all the agencies had it.