Photojournalist - Dick Kraus - Behind the Viewfinder

October 20 , 1998

I HAVE AN INFINITE AMOUNT OF DISLIKE FOR POLITICAL FLACKS

by Dick Kraus

Staff Photographer

Newsday

I have an infinite amount of dislike for political flacks. Even though the event occurred over 7 hours ago, I can still taste the bile in my mouth. I am also referring to events that I have covered over the years in which the media was controlled and herded like cattle and restricted to the point where it became impossible to do the job. If the general public were treated in this fashion, there would have been a popular uprising many years ago.

It really got bad after John Kennedy was assassinated and it has been getting worse ever since. It’s funny, though. I’ve never been aware of any incident where a credentialed newspuke was considered a threat to any elected official. At least as far as bodily harm is concerned. And even though we have to undergo the most stringent security checks, and we wear reams of press credentials from a myriad of governmental agencies, we are still herded like cattle into press pens to be scrutinized like public enemies while the general public is allowed closer access to the people who are being protected from "us."

I have asked this question before. I have written about it on the Internet and I have whined about it to anyone within earshot, and I will shout it once again.

WHEN DID WE BECOME THE ENEMY?

It happened again, this morning. I was told that I would have to be in place two hours ahead of time at Nassau Community College where Hillary Rodham Clinton was to speak at a rally for Congressman Charles Schumer, a Democrat who is challenging Senator Al D’Amato for his Senate seat. Two hours! The public doesn’t have to be in place two hours in advance.

I showed up two hours in advance and was told that I could set up my camera and tripod on the press stand. When I got to the press stand, I couldn’t believe how far away from the speakers’ dais we were. We were at the very back of a large auditorium. Even the tv people were complaining that they couldn’t get a decent talking head from that distance. And if they weren’t happy, with their expensive long glass, what chance did I have with a mere 70 to 200 mm zoom lens. So, I trekked across the campus, back to my car and got my 300 mm. Even with that, I was shooting more stage than I was of the speaker.

When the event finally got under way, almost an hour late, I had to take a risk and snap on my 2x tele extender. I hate the thing because it flattens out the picture and just degrades it so much. But, I had little choice. The stuff I saw through the 300 mm was just too wide. I shot it both ways, just to back myself up and I shot a lot more film than I normally do just for insurance, But, I wasn’t happy. With the extender on, I had trouble trying to focus and I was stuck at a 30th of a second since you lose a couple of stops with the 2x. Thank heavens that I thought to bring my tripod.

Back at the paper, the Photo Editor mumbled under his breath about soft focus and subject and camera movement, but he knew there wasn’t much that I could have done.

OK. Bitch, bitch, bitch. I still haven’t gotten to the real cause of my resentment. When the speeches were done, Cong. Schumer and the First Lady left the stage and we thought they were exiting the auditorium. Instead, they went into the audience to talk with the students and faculty who mobbed around them.

Seeing an opportunity to get something other than some very poor quality "talking heads," a bunch of us jumped off the camera platform and raced through the crown to get some "real people" shots. I got to within 20 feet and the crowds were just too dense. So, I hopped up on a chair and threw my 70 to 200mm zoom on a camera with a flash and started searching for a clean shot of Hillary. Just as I located her and was adjusting the focus, my viewfinder went dark. I took the camera away from my eye to see what had caused this, and there to my amazement was some burly guy in a cheap suit covering my lens with his hand.

"You know the rules," he yelled. "Get back to the press area."

"Rules??? What f---ing rules. Show where the f---ing rules are written," I screamed back at him.

"You are breaching security. You don’t belong here. Get back to the press area or you’ll never cover another presidential event again," he screamed up at me while I tried to maneuver my lens past his hammy hand to get a shot.

Well, now I knew that he wasn’t Secret Service. Secret Service don’t wear cheap suits and they aren’t that stupid. I wouldn’t be acting so feisty in front of Secret Service. They can do nasty things to you. I asked this jerk by what authority he was ordering me out of the area.

He pointed to a cheap looking lapel pin and said, "I’m with Schumer’s staff and you have to leave before I have you ejected."

By this time, other goons were herding the rest of the tv and stills out of the area and Hillary and Schumer were nowhere to be seen.

"You are a complete asshole," I told my goon. "The next time your man holds a press conference, maybe no one will be there. Then you can tell Schumer that you did your job well."

I lost the battle. And I lost the war. All I got to show for my efforts were a few rolls of flat and unfocused talking heads. I don’t know how the examples that I am posting with this tale of woe will look on your computer screen, but even though I ran them through a sharpening program, I am not satisfied with them.

But, this really isn’t my battle. My parting shot at Mr. Asshole doesn’t mean a thing. If Schumer holds a press conference, I will be assigned to it. And I will have to go. And because I am a newspuke, I will do the best job that I can, in spite of the resentment over my treatment today. The battle needs to be waged by the editors and publishers. By the news directors and station owners. They won’t though, because they aren’t on the front lines. They may hear us bitch, but, Hell, newspukes always bitch. What they don’t realize, though, is that our Constitutional freedom of the press is slowly being eroded, and one day the press will be told what they can write and what they can photograph.

Oh, what’s that you say? That day has already come? Hmmmm. I wonder?

Dick Kraus,

Newsday Staff Photographer