The Milwaukee Press Club announced winners of 78th annual Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism contest.

The Milwaukee Press Club today announced the winners of its 78th annual Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism competition, with the winners to be honored at the club’s April 26th Gridiron and awards banquet at the InterContinental Hotel Milwaukee.

View all of the winners (other categories, media) here.

Photojournalism Category PJ-1
Best Still Photograph
1st
Anne Baesemann
Feingold lead photo
Milwaukee Magazine

2nd
Craig Schreiner
Origami Rose
Wisconsin State Journal

Photojournalism Category PJ-3
Best Photo Essay or Series
1st
Craig Schreiner
A Death Well Planned
Wisconsin State Journal

Photojournalism Category PJ-4
Best News Photograph
1st
Mark Hertzberg
Fire Rescue
The Journal Times

Photojournalism Category PJ-5
Best Feature Photograph
1st
Dan Reiland
Amish Boat
Leader-Telegram

2nd
John Maniaci
Old Fashioned Fun
Wisconsin State Journal

Photojournalism Category PJ-6
Best Sports Action Photograph
1st
John Maniaci
Game Winning Score
Wisconsin State Journal

2nd
Best Sports Action Photograph
Corey Wilson
Helmet Removal Service
Green Bay Press-Gazette

Photojournalism: Best Still Photograph
1st Place
Christopher Guess
Virginia Tech vigil
The Daily Cardinal

Posted by Administrator as WNPA Report at 9:05 AM EDT

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Wisconsin State Journal photographer Steve Apps is the winner of the Dave Boss Award of Excellence for his entry in the 40th Annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Photo Contest. His photo, titled “First Down,” was deemed the Photograph of the Year for the 2007 NFL Season.

The color feature image captures Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre signaling for a first down while shrouded with snow in the third quarter of the Packers’ 42-20 NFC Divisional Playoff win over the Seattle Seahawks on January 12, 2008 at Lambeau Field.

The prestigious contest, sponsored by Canon, U.S.A., Inc., the official camera of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is open to professional photographers ordinarily on assignment to cover National Football League games. Photos taken during the 2007 NFL season, that included Super Bowl XLII and the 2008 Pro Bowl, were eligible.

Apps’ entry was the first place winner in the feature category while Donald Miralle, Jr. of Getty Images placed first in the action category. Miralle’s image titled “Hand Picked,” depicts San Diego Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie fully extended in mid-air while intercepting a Peyton Manning pass during a 23-31 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on November 11, 2007 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.

Judging was conducted on April 4 by a panel of prominent photo editors and photographers. The judges included Mark Christian photo editor, Sporting News; Stella Kramer, Pulitzer Prize winning photo editor; John H. Reid, III, team photographer, Cleveland Browns; Brad Smith, sports picture editor, The New York Times; and Kevin Terrell, freelance photographer/photo editor.

Apps will be officially honored at the Enshrinees GameDay Roundtable, part of the 2008 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival, on August 3, 2008. The multi-day enshrinement celebration is highlighted by the induction of the Class of 2008, Fred Dean, Darrell Green, Art Monk, Emmitt Thomas, Andre Tippett, and Gary Zimmerman, on August 2, followed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game the next day. This year’s game showcases the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Redskins.

Posted by Guest Author as WNPA Report at 10:09 AM EDT

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On April 13, WNPAonline posted an article summarizing WIAA’s  stance on photo reprint sales rights now that a similar situation in Illinois has been decided through the Illinois state senate.

Todd C. Clark, director of communications for the WIAA, read the article on WNPAonline and felt opinions expressed in a number of cited media works contained within the article were misleading or did not articulate WIAA’s position accurately.

I asked him if he was interested in preparing a statement that could straighten out any misleading information presented in the previous article as well as clearly spell out WIAA’s current stance as it pertains to state high school playoff events and photo reprint sales rights. Here is Communication Director Todd C. Clark’s response in his own words:

“Currently, the WIAA position is that photographs taken with the authoritative issuance of the media credential by news gathering outlets are strictly for editorial, non-commercial use only, except with written consent of the WIAA.

We choose not to deny photo credentials to newspapers or consider any other punitive action while we continue to have dialog. I know I respect the jobs and commitment photographers give to high school sports, and feel it would be more productive to continue dialog in the meantime. However, as we’ve stated, we reserve the right to our position as clearly indicated in our policies. We believe our policy is clearly stated about the commercial use of photos from the WIAA Tournament Series events. We would appreciate newspapers/photographers consideration in prescribing to ethics in working within these guidelines.”

(We are) hoping to provide a compromise with newspapers. I worked to get our official photographer to agree to allow newspapers the opportunity to sell State photos that actually appear in print and was working toward a similar type of limited sale for photos accompanying stories on the Website before we were, for a lack of a better term, “smeared” with editorials based on inaccurate assertions and misinformation.

The “without written consent of the WIAA” portion of the rule allows the opportunity for the WIAA to issue written consent for the sale of pre-State Tournaments (regionals and sectionals) with a licensure fee. The licensure fee is $100 for pre-State Tournaments (regional and sectional), which allows the licensee the opportunity to sell as many photos as they wish from regionals and sectionals.

Because our exclusive arrangement with VIP. Only VIP has the license to sell (or resell as the case may be) images from the State Tournaments.

The WIAA will host its annual Media Day, to be held July 17, 2008, Clark said various media rights issues as well as the current photo reprint sales rights issue are likely discussion topics. Clark is encouraging the WNPA to send its own representative to the annual media day. For more information, e-mail Todd C. Clark at tclark@wiaawi.org

Posted by Administrator as WNPA Report at 6:32 PM EDT

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By Scott Anderson
WNPAonline

On April 1, the Illinois State Senate passed a bill preventing the Illinois High School Association from barring photographers from the sidelines of sporting events even if the newspapers they work for make their photos available for sale to the public. See Related Article

While this issue in Illinois has been getting considerable attention over the past several weeks, an ongoing and similar dispute exists here in Wisconsin. See Related Article

In Wisconsin’s dispute, area newspapers have been sparring with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletics Association over the rights to sell photo reprints taken at high school sporting events. Last year, the WIAA wanted to ensure their two contract agencies, Visual Image Photography Inc., and When We Were Young Productions, didn’t have any competition from area newspapers. Newspapers, however, said they have always been able to sell reprints, and are upset over the WIAA’s efforts to restrict photographers on the sidelines.
Fast forward to 2008, and a News Media and Law article that takes an in-depth look at the growing trend of friction between the news media and state-based athletics associations over photo reprint dollars.

Wisconsin’s situation is highlighted later in the article when the author interviewed Mickey Osterreicher, the General Counsel for the National Press Photographers Association, in which he says the WIAA is now selectively enforcing photographer restrictions.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

In Wisconsin, Osterreicher said, the athletic association entered into a similar contract with a private photography company, but said to his knowledge, it is not being strictly enforced. “I think for the most part it’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’”

Rob Hernandez of the Wisconsin State Journal’s comments in the article add more ambiguity to the WIAA’s stance:

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletics Association presented its policy during the 2006-2007 school year, said Rob Hernandez, the Wisconsin State Journal’s assistant sports editor for high school athletics. As a member of WIAA’s media advisory committee, Hernandez said he was surprised it was not brought to the committee.

But, he said, “WIAA said it will not pursue legal action for newspapers in violation of the agreement right now, but if someone in another state successfully argues the rule, that may change their stance.”

As loosely-defined as these interpretations may be, they represent a marked change in the WIAA’s behavior since this NPPA article, published in March 2007, in which the WIAA wanted to charge newspapers a $100 licensing fee to cover state high school tournament events and the ability to sell photo reprints.

If you or anyone you know who is a professional photojournalist who feels they have been confronted unfairly by the WIAA, the Wisconsin News Photographer Association would like to know. Please send any commentary to the webmaster at scander03@yahoo.com

Posted by Administrator as WNPA Report at 12:12 AM EDT

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The Journal Sentinel won a 2008 Pulitzer Prize for an investigative story documenting a Milwaukee County pension scandal that cost local taxpayers nearly $50 million and uncovered a culture of corruption and cronyism present in County Government.

Reporter Dave Umhoefer received the award for local reporting. This is the sixth Pulitzer Prize overall in the newspaper company’s long history. The Milwaukee Journal was awarded five Pulitzers dating back to 1919.

Sherman Williams, Assistant Managing Editor - Photography for the Journal Sentinel, had this to say about the many newsroom personnel who helped make Umhoefer’s story a success:

“I think the Pulitzer is an honor that reflects our commitment to quality and covering our community at the highest level. I feel it’s an award that recognizes the staff. Many people in the newsroom contributed to the report. Several photographers, graphics artists and designers worked on parts of it and helped create an entry that was worthy of the award.”

Congratulations to the JS staff from WNPAonline!

 
Here is the announcement on JSonline

Read the Pulitzer Prize-winning story

2008 Pulitzer Prize winners

Posted by Administrator as WNPA Report at 3:20 PM EDT

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Not sure if anyone has heard this yet but Archie Liebermann died of a neurological disease similar to Parkinson’s on Thursday, March 13. Archie spoke at the WNPA convention held at the Abby in Fontana. I am not sure on the year I think it was 96 but might have been 97. He was a great speaker, a great photographer and a great guy that will be missed.

Terry Mayer

Photojournalist, The Week

Posted by Guest Author as WNPA Report at 2:07 PM EDT

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Mike De Sisti will join the staff at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as a multimedia picture editor starting March 31, 2008. Mike comes from The Post-Crescent in Appleton, where he was the assistant editor/multimedia. He joined the Post Crescent staff in 1998 as a still photographer and began shooting video for the newspaper’s web site in 2003.

Mike will be doing everything from picture editing and video story-telling to working with the photography staff and newsroom to aid in jsonline.com multimedia production.

Posted by Administrator as WNPA Report at 1:49 PM EDT

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Katherine (Katie) Derus won this year’s first Guldan Scholarship. Here is a brief comment from our winner:

I am a photojournalism major and a junior at Winona State University in Winona, Minn, but I am from Milwaukee, Wis. I also work “part time” at the Winona Daily News as a staff photographer, though I’m pretty sure it feels like full time work. It is the best job in the world for me right now because I get paid to do what I love: take pictures. In what little free time I have left I play rugby for Winona State. There isn’t much I don’t like to photograph, but I really enjoy photographing kids because they always give the most genuine smiles and reactions. I also love photographing football, but all sports are really fun. In general I like finding great shots out of something normally uninteresting or not already news, like little kids riding bikes on the first nice day of spring. Ultimately I like photographing people.

Dale Guldan was a gifted photographer, creating images that informed, inspired and entertained. The camera was his means of expression, his medium for conveying the stories he saw and the passion he felt. His work was honored with countless awards, including winning the Wisconsin News Photographer of the Year title four years in a row.

Dale’s contributions to the photojournalism community continue through The Dale Guldan Memorial Scholarship. This $500 scholarship will be awarded to a student currently enrolled in a Wisconsin college or university and is studying photography. The purpose of this scholarship is to reward students who are dedicated to the art of photography and/or photojournalism.

To register for next year’s scholarship, visit: http://www.wnpaonline.com/forms/guldan.pdf

Posted by Administrator as WNPA Report at 7:45 PM EDT

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Photojournalists across Wisconsin have covered Green Bay Packer football over the years, and many of us have had the chance to see a field-level view of Brett Favre’s storied career. After 17 years as a Packer, Favre retired. Will it be for good?

If it is, several WNPA members offer their memories, reflections or favorite photographs of the Packer quarterback to share.

Tom Lynn - photojournalist - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“I was fortunate to have been able to cover Brett Favre from his first appearance as a Packer in Tampa Bay to his final game at Lambeau Field in this year’s NFC Championship. Brett was as much fun to photograph as he was to watch. From his precision passing, thrilling touchdowns and his never ending exuberance on the field along with his off field antics Brett was one of a kind. With so many highlights in his career like his diving touchdown at the final game at County Stadium, the cross filed bomb he threw to Sterling Sharpe in his first playoff win to the 1996 Super Bowl season and the Monday night game the day after his father passed away and so many more I don’t think there will ever be another player like Brett Favre.”

Dan Powers - photojournalist - Appleton Post Crescent
“I have photographed Brett Favre and The Green Bay Packers since 1995. In fact, it’s been so many games I stopped counting. Those games include numerous playoffs and two Super Bowl appearances. But out of all of those games, it’s the regular season game against the Oakland Raiders back in 2003 that sticks with me the most. The paper asked me to talk about it so we did a video.”
(excerpt from his blog Eye on the Ball on postcrescent.com)

John Klein - photojournalist - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Brett Favre’s retirement announcement marks the end of a very fun era for covering Packer football. I have covered my share of losing football games over the years and it is no fun. Every Sunday win or lose Favre made photographing Packer games a lot more exciting. You really never knew what he might do next, including the bad with the good.” (excerpt from photojournalism blog Sharper Focus, a on JSonline.com)

Mark Hoffman - photojournalist - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“I started at The Milwaukee Journal around the same time that Brett Favre started his streak. After talking to people who aren’t photojournalists, I realize how fortunate I’ve been to watch one of pro football’s greatest players from the sidelines, a view most people can only dream about.”

Scott Anderson - photojournalist - Racine Journal Times
“Brett Favre started playing for the Packers when I was in the eighth grade, so I’m young enough to remember growing up watching him play and I’m old enough to say that I’ve covered him as a news photographer. The last game I remember covering when he played was a January 2005 home playoff loss to the Vikings. The Vikings played well, and the Packers had some injuries and struggled throughout the game. Favre spent most of the game running from opposing defenders and throwing passes to receivers that weren’t where they were supposed to be. The game showed me first-hand that winning and losing really mattered to him - a quality that endeared him to many people.”

Bill Meyer - photojournalist - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Since everybody has great game action, I thought you might like to have a playful portrait of Brett Favre with his hat on backwards. Just another example of him enjoying himself every day at work.”

Posted by Administrator as Webmaster's Column, WNPA Report at 7:55 PM EDT

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Updated February 29, 2008

Eugene Richards is joining the list of speakers for the 2008 WNPA Convention. He is making his appearance as a Canon Explorer of Light speaker.

Eugene Richards is a photographer, writer and documentary filmmaker who is best known for his books and photographic essays on such diverse topics as breast cancer, drug addiction, poverty, AIDS, and aging in America.  He earned a degree in English and journalism from Northeastern University in 1967, then studied photography with Minor White at M.I.T.  He received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Lesley University in 2005.

In 1968 Richards joined VISTA and was assigned as a health care advocate to eastern Arkansas.  Two years later he helped found a social service organization and a community newspaper, Many Voices, that reported on black political action and the response of the Ku Klux Klan.  After publication of his first two books, Few Comforts or Surprises: The Arkansas Delta (1973) and his self- published Dorchester Days (1978), Richards was invited to become a nominee at Magnum Photos.  He was a member of the cooperative until June 2005 and a member of VII from 2006 to 2008.

Eugene Richards’s subsequent books include Exploding Into Life (Aperture,
1986), which chronicles his first wife Dorothea’s struggle with breast cancer;
Cocaine True, Cocaine Blue (Aperture, 1994), a study of the impact of hardcore
drugs on American cities; Stepping Through the Ashes (Aperture, 2002), an elegy
to those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001; and The Fat Baby
(Phaidon, 2004), a collection of fifteen textual and photographic stories produced
during the 1990s. The Blue Room, a collection of his photographs on abandoned
houses of the West and the Midwest, as well as A Procession of Them, which
confronts the plight of the institutionalized mentally disabled, will be published
in Fall 2008. His current book project, War Is Personal, is a documentation in
words and pictures of the effects of the Iraq war on the lives of a dozen
individuals.

Among numerous honors Richards has won a Guggenheim Fellowship, National
Endowment for the Arts grants, the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Award, the Leica Medal
of Excellence, the Olivier Rebbot Award twice, a Lucie Award for Outstanding
Achievement in Documentary, and the Robert F. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement
Journalism Award for coverage of the disadvantaged.

Richards has written, photographed, directed, and produced six short films,
as well as one hour-long documentary.  But, the day came, which chronicles the
difficult passage of a 93-year-old Nebraska farmer to a nursing home, received
the Best Short Film award at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.

Original Post February 27, 2008 

Eugene Richards, formerly with VII agency, is best known for his books–he has authored thirteen–and photo essays on such diverse topics as breast cancer, drug addiction, poverty, emergency medicine, pediatric HIV and AIDS, the meat packing industry, the plight of the world’s mentally disabled, aging and death in America.

His work has appeared in countless publications, including The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, TIME, Newsweek, the New Yorker, Fortune, Mother Jones and LIFE.

Among numerous honors, he has won the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, three National Endowment for the Arts grants, the Leica Medal of Excellence, the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, the Olivier Rebbot Award twice, and the Robert F. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Journalism Award for coverage of the disadvantaged.

He is a Canon Explorer of Light and we are extremely grateful for their continued support.

More details to come in the next few days.

Posted by Guest Author as WNPA Report, 2008 Convention at 9:04 PM EST

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