This story’s been floating around for a few days now. If you haven’t heard about this, you’ll see it soon enough (like Sunday afternoons next month).
The National Football League has passed a new rule for the upcoming season that requires photographers at NFL games to wear red vests with Canon and Reebok logos on them, and the news is not being very well received by some editors and photography directors as word spreads through the journalism community.
Read the whole article on the NPPA site.
Additionally, the NPPA has asked the NFL to reconsider the new rule:
The letter, sent yesterday afternoon to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell at the league’s New York City offices, is from NPPA president Tony Overman on behalf of NPPA members and photojournalists. It explains to the NFL that journalists following ethical codes cannot be perceived to be endorsing products or advertising for corporations, and that by wearing vests with corporate logos NPPA believes the NFL will be putting journalists in the position of violating their independence and objectivity in the public’s eyes. Overman wrote that NPPA’s objections include creating the wrong public perception that the media is “for sale,” and the practice would contribute to eroding the pubic trust in the media as a whole.
The Chicago Tribune has A Word to the NFL:
The Tribune won’t allow its photographers to cover games in vests with logos. “We’re not doing it,” said George de Lama, the managing editor for news. “Absolutely not.” If the rule doesn’t change, the paper will cover the NFL without visuals.
Also, check out all the rumblings in the photo communities across the net:
[tags]photographers, photography, sports, nfl, red, vest, sponsor, logos, rights, billboard, advertising, media[/tags]
