[Leica] Re: Red vests

[lrzeitlin at optonline.net (Lawrence Zeitlin)]

On Aug 7, 2007, at 4:35 PM, Ted wrote:

> If it's mandatory they wear them I think each photog should at  
> least receive
> a $100.00 dollar advertising fee as walk about bill boards at each  
> game.
> Seem a fair enough trade off and I bet it might cool the anti-wear  
> heat a
> bit.:-)


Ted,

Here is the full news story from Editor and Publisher. The press is  
opposed but the NFL is not giving an inch. Canon is apprently the  
money behind the scheme. Perhaps we should boycott Canon - or insist  
that they make some good, low priced M series lenses.

Larry Z

++++++++++

NFL Tells Photog Group: Vests With Ads Will Stay

By Joe Strupp

Published: August 06, 2007 11:00 AM ET

NEW YORK The National Football League is apparently standing firm in  
its plan to require sideline photographers to wear vests with ad  
logos this season, according to the National Press Photographers  
Association, which has led the opposition to the plan, claiming it  
represents a conflict for photogs.

NPPA also dismissed the idea of an organized boycott of games,  
according to NPPA Vice President Jack Zibluk, who said in an e-mail  
to E&P that ?Our problem with a boycott is that it could play into  
the hands of the NFL in the long run. Boycotting wouldn't cause a  
coverage blackout. The only photographers left would be the ones  
favored by the NFL.?

As for the NFL reaction, NPPA reports that it received a letter from  
the NFL Friday that said the requirement would not change, while  
defending the use of the Reebok and Canon logos on the new red vests.

?The NFL says there are no plans to add additional logos to the  
vests, or to increase the size of the marks, and that they think the  
Reebok and Canon logos are appropriate because the vests are made by  
Reebok and because Canon ?has made the commitment to fund the cost of  
the vest,?? NPPA reported on its Web site after receiving the letter  
from NFL vice president of public relations Greg Aiello, which added  
that ?Both logos are directly related to the manufacture of the vest.  
Given this, it is inaccurate to characterize them as advertising  
messages sold to NFL sponsors or others.

"If our goal had been media visibility, we would have allowed Canon  
to display its name in much larger letters on the back of the vests  
where it could more readily be seen by the television cameras that  
are located above and behind the photographers," Aiello wrote in the  
letter, according to NPPA. "Instead, 'Canon' appears in letters only  
0.7 inches high, less than a quarter of the size of the NFL shield  
logo and no larger than the logo of Reebok, and actual manufacturer  
of the vest."

Aiello also said in the letter, "It has been pointed out both  
publicly and privately by members of the media that the presence of  
corporate logos on vests at sporting events is standard in the  
industry. The size, placement and positioning of the logos on NFL  
vests is less intrusive than what is considered accepted practice in  
much of the sports world."

NPPA reports that Aiello then invoked comments sent to the league by  
Associated Press director of photography Santiago Lyon ?as an example  
of someone who reviewed and approved the vests.? Aiello writes, "the  
Associated Press director of photography has reviewed the vest design  
and concluded publicly that the Canon and Reebok logos are both  
reasonably sized. He also acknowledged that the presence of such  
logos on event vests is common at sporting events worldwide.?

But NPPA contends that what Lyons actually told the NFL in a letter  
was that, "the Canon and Reebok logos, while of some concern, appear  
reasonably sized and we acknowledge the common practice of  
sponsorship appearing on event vests, not just at the NFL but at  
sporting events the world over. We would, however, be very concerned  
should there be any increase in the size or number of these logos.  
Our presence at NFL events is to record them as photojournalists and  
distribute images the world over, not become walking billboards  
through larger or more numerous sponsorship logos."

After receiving the NFL letter, NPPA Executive Director Jim Straight  
said, "We reaffirm our dissension on the vest's logos based on our  
ethical standards, and we hope that our members - with the  
consultation of their employers - seek out professional and  
responsible ways to avoid endorsing a corporate product while acting  
in a journalistic manner."

But, in his e-mail to E&P, Zibluk made clear a boycott would not  
occur, at least not one organized by his group. ?What we're more  
likely to suggest is that photographers cover the logos or turn them  
inside out. We'd recommend checking with their management, or clients  
if they're freelancers, to make sure they have support.?

The vests, so far, have sparked opposition from the Associated Press  
Managing Editors, American Society of Newspaper Editors and several  
other news organizations.