The growth and expansion of
the Internet caused a huge shift to a multimedia online world. While some
individuals gained jobs writing blogs and columns for instance, many
photojournalists were laid off due to economic pressures. For those that were
able to maintain their jobs as photojournalists, it was an entirely different
job description. It is now an expectation that every photojournalist is
multimedia proficient and can write, take pictures, shoot audio and video
footage, and transmit content digitally using Wi-Fi hot spots and even
cellphones. It is crucial to get the images out first and get an edge over
other photographers covering the same event. In today’s digital age it is a
tremendously competitive market for photojournalists as they are working on even
tighter deadlines. As a result of this digital revolution, the primary focus at
the Republican is their Mass Live website which utilizes multimedia content:
images, videos, blogs, live updates, and also provides readers with the
opportunity to have their say on particular issues in the media. Typically,
with online news, the goal is to expose readers to the information using a
number of different methods. The key to a successful online newspaper is using
a variety of distribution channels. By doing this, information will be
distributed to a mass audience in several different forms.
Online newspapers were
introduced shortly after the launch of the World Wide Web in the 1990’s. However, prior
to this online shift, in the early nineteenth century, Rotogravure printing was
an extremely efficient and favorable process for printing images in newspapers.
This process involved an etched cylinder and utilized “intaglio printing, in
which metal is etched with recessed "cells" to hold the ink.”
Rotogravure is renowned for its “high quality gradation and color depth.” In
addition to this, Rotogravure enabled high speed printing on a huge scale and
was extremely cost effective. Printing consistency and anti-smear were other
key advantages associated with this printing process. “Newly equipped
newspapers were able to print large pictorial sections that increased
readership and advertising revenue."
While the Rotogravure
Process may seem relatively extensive and incredibly old fashioned in
comparison to simply uploading images and photos to a gallery or blog at the
click of a button, it is still utilized in printing today. This suggests that
without the birth of the Internet and online newspapers, this process may have
still been one of the most prominent. One could argue that images posted in
online newspapers share similar advantages and some overlap with those produced
by this process, for instance, the image quality and color are always
consistent and obviously images never smear online. Moreover, according to the
results of a study conducted in 1932, “rotogravures were the most widely read
sections of the paper and advertisements were three times more likely to be
seen by readers than in any other section.” Similarly, online galleries are
among the most viewed items on online newspaper sites hence why these photos
are updated on a daily basis (one of my tasks at the Republican). In contrast,
uploading images is definitely more convenient, it can be done from the comfort
of your own home and pretty much anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection or hot spot.
All you need is a lap top and the camera or even just a cell phone. Despite this,
photojournalists that actually want hard copies of their images must see something
special in Rotogravure printing, otherwise it would not have survived throughout
the digital revolution.
The image (below) shows rolls of packaging printed using the Rotogravure Process:
No photographer included, image used by the company DCM Group
Image Source: http://www.dcm.fr/rotogravure-printing.html
This image shows the demise of print circulation:
Photo by Tony Rogers
Image Source: http://journalism.about.com/b/2009/03/25/five-things-that-are-lost-when-newspapers-close.htm
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