Last stop - CBS

This is my last obligatory blog posting for the Kent State NY Media Seminar.

It was sad writing this because it meant the end for one of the best times of my college career, or any time for that matter. We packed so much into eight days that it's hard to remember it all. But for this post I'm going to stay on topic: Day 5 (May 28) at CBS.

We gathered outside of the apartment complex on W. 30th St.

Professors on the left and students at right, meeting outside of our NY apartment

   Destination - CBS studios, where John Filo works. His name might not sound familiar, but the iconic image he captured on May 4, 1970 is famous. Remember the photo of a screaming 14-year-old runaway hovering over the lifeless body of Kent State student Jeffrey Miller, who was shot and killed by the Army National Guard? Filo took that photo, and it earned him a Pulitzer Prize.

   Filo was a KSU photojournalism student at the time, but he’s not a photojournalist now. He stayed in the business for a while, but now he’s currently director of photography at CBS in New York, and he admitted to us that he is content shooting headshots and celebrities. 

John's CBS studio

   He said he doesn’t miss the hard news. I don’t blame him. Constant misery is difficult to witness year after year.

In this current economy, it’s easy to believe that the CBS still photo staff has been cut from 30 (10 photogs and 20 techs) to one. Yes, John is the only CBS still shooter in New York.

Me and John

   I asked him how he felt about the multimedia skills expected of photojournalists these days. He said he didn’t agree with photojournalists required to shoot both still and video on a shoot because doing both deludes the quality of the overall storytelling.

   Whether you agree or not, I don’t think today’s photojournalists have a choice. Learn and do both or get left behind. That’s why there are so many convergence conferences available these days, and why Kent State built a state-of-the art convergence studio.

I do find it ironic that Filo has that opinion, considering videographers are his coworkers. He is at CBS, after all.

   Spending the morning with John was a pleasure. He was kind, enthusiastic and welcoming.  Thanks, John.

                       John in his customary vest outside of his CBS studio