With the proliferation of cameras and web sites, almost everyone is claiming to be a photographer or a journalist. Yesterday, I received an e-mail from a wedding – portrait photographer asking how he can get a Press ID card. And, he was in a hurry because he wanted to get into an event this weekend.
My answer was: Press ID cards are for people who work for the Press.
If you run any event in Canada, be aware that there is no such thing as a generic “Press card” or “Press pass”. Anyone who tries to use such a card to gain entry to your event is a fraud.
Anything that simply says “PRESS PASS”, “PRESS” or “MEDIA” is fake. A business card is not a press pass.
Many web sites offer to sell Press passes or Press ID. All of these cards are fake. All of them. Some of these sites sell cards which use acronyms and logos that intentionally mimic well-known news organizations.
Every newspaper and wire service in Canada issues employee ID cards to their staff. These cards should have a photo of the person, the name of the specific media outlet and a phone number to call for verification. If in doubt, call and check. News organizations take this matter very seriously.
Many newspapers and wire services use freelancers. Some freelancers may have ID cards from the media outlet they represent and some don’t. But all will have contact information that you can use for verification. None will have a generic “Press Pass”.
Some stock picture agencies will freely “assign” almost anyone with a camera to “cover” your event. This has nothing to do with news coverage of your event because these are not Press photographers. Only news organizations assign news photographers.
It’s important to ensure that the Press photographers at your event are who they claim to be:
1) Real Press photographers know how to work without interfering with the event.
2) Real Press photographers attend an event only as part of their work and not for their own entertainment.
3) Real Press photographers work professionally and follow a code of ethics. They can be fired for a failure of either.
4) Do you really want untrained, unprofessional, unpredictable photographers around your guests, company executives or VIPs?
5) Your event will not get news coverage from a photographer whose pictures go to their Facebook page or blog. You will not get coverage from a photographer who posts their pictures online hoping that someone, someday, will download a copy of it.
You’re probably quite careful about who you let in your front door at home. Just because someone shows up at your event with a camera and a “Press Pass” dangling from their neck, that doesn’t mean they’re a photographer, let alone a Press photographer.
