In less than a year, every major television news station in the Bay Area has been a victim, some more than once. One experienced newspaper photographer has lost five cameras.
In the most brazen episode, a group of men punched a KPIX-TV cameraman last November while he was filming at midday in front of an Oakland high school. The robbers fled with his camera while it was still recording. Viewers saw the reporter sign off and then an inexplicably wobbly image.
Robberies and assaults are changing the way journalists report in Oakland. Armed, plainclothes security guards sometimes accompany news crews on pieces, even mundane ones. Some camera crew members are refusing to take assignments in Oakland at night. And while crime provides the daily drama for much of the local television news, reporters are spending less time on the street and more time at the Oakland police department. Once the police leave a crime scene, television crews depart as well.
“We’re not going to go door to door anymore,” said a television reporter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because his station would not authorize him to speak publicly. The union representing many of the journalists, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, is calling for safety measures that include security guards, security cameras on news vehicles and GPS devices in cameras. It has also sent a reminder to news stations that crews can “refuse dangerous assignments when appropriate.”
“It’s frightening and a disservice to our communities that need the information reporters are gathering,” said Pam Moore, an anchor at KRON, a news-focused television station. “There was a time when reporters were considered off-limits.”
Aaron Pero, news director at KRON, says he now routinely sends two reporters to assignments in Oakland, although his video journalists usually work alone. For some pieces, the station also sends a security guard. Mr. Pero said that he knew he was “not maximizing our resources,” but that the safety of his employees was his No. 1 concern.
Tom Raponi, vice president and general manager at KTVU, based in Oakland, said, “We’ve told our crews, ‘No live shot is worth putting yourself in danger.’ ”
Akilah Bolden-Monifa, market communications director at KPIX-TV, said the station’s coverage of Oakland had “not been impacted.” She said employees would not be made available for comment.
KNTV and KGO declined to comment.
The epidemic of camera robberies appears to be particular to Oakland, although reporters elsewhere have experienced trouble on occasion. Last month, a Las Vegas reporter with the Univision affiliate KINC was assaulted and robbed of his necklace while the camera recorded.
“People have always seen open vans as an invitation to theft, but Oakland brings it to a whole new level,” said David Behm, western region director at the International Cinematographers Guild, which represents camera operators at KTVU and KPIX.
One reason for the increase in camera thefts is that electronic devices are considered more valuable than wallets, said Johnna Watson, a spokeswoman for the Oakland police.
Yet no one is sure where the stolen cameras, which range in price from $3,000 to $50,000, are ending up.
“Our attempts to locate a secondary market have been unsuccessful,” said Collin Wong, the director of Star Protection Agency, which supplies retired and off-duty law enforcement officers to a number of stations. The cameras, he said, are not appearing on eBay, on Craigslist or in local pawnshops.
Ms. Watson said the cameras were most likely being used for music videos, independent films or pornographic films. She said it was also possible they were being shipped overseas.
In November, television news directors met with the police to “share ideas and concerns on how we can reduce crime against the media,” Ms. Watson said.
Television vans with gangly microwave dishes are like palm trees on the plains, visible from a distance. Once the dish has been raised, the van is immobilized, making the crews easy prey.
There are also problems for photographers working alone. “People see the gear and see you’re concentrating on trying to take the picture you came to get, and there’s an instant vulnerability,” said a New York Times photographer, Jim Wilson, who has covered the Bay Area for many years.
Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/04/business/media/photojournalists-in-oakland-face-epidemic-of-camera-robberies.html?partner=rss&emc=rss