LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Occasionally in this space, I'll discuss this job a little bit, and try to give a bit of insight into the changes and challenges it brings. I won't overdo it.
I was just reminded of a frequent conundrum when filling out a media credential request the other day. What is my job, really? These online forms invariably present a confusing set of options.
My choices: print reporter, print photographer, internet writer, radio talent, TV talent, TV camera, etc.
In 2025, the answer for most of us needs to be "all of the above," an option that hasn't seemed to dawn on the people who run sports events.
The Kentucky Oaks was another reminder. I was credentialed to be in the Winner's Circle as a reporter. But the separate photographer bib needed to shoot in that place went to another shooter at our station.
Generally, I try to snap a few pictures for our website while handling my other duties.
But this year, I got the reminder: If you're not wearing the bib, you're not allowed to shoot here. So, I stopped. You can read my Kentucky Oaks coverage here (with a photo shot before the race) and see my Oaks Day photos here. Nor did I try to shoot the Kentucky Derby. I just let others handle it. This was my 33rd Kentucky Derby. I'm pretty flexible. My coverage from the Derby may be read here.
But the fact remains: In 2025, I wonder how many others in this business find themselves in the same situation. If I'm standing in a spot, I'm there to report what I see, what I get in interviews. But I'm also there to record images. It's a fact of the media landscape that not every outlet will have a separate dedicated photo staff. In TV, often there are separate videographers, for obvious reasons, but WDRB also runs a major news website in this city.
I might be, in that same given spot, shooting video. And to be fair, if I'd been shooting things on my phone, instead of with an actual camera, I'd probably have been fine.
Because of rights fees and 100 other things, what you as a reporter do in that spot you occupy is tightly monitored. At the NCAA volleyball Final Four, I couldn't sit in a courtside seat assigned to me as a reporter and shoot photos. I had to get up and swing around to the end zone, into a pen set up for photographers.
Which doesn't make it easy to write a running story that has to be filed immediately at the conclusion of the match.
The term used in this business is MMJ — "multimedia journalist." It is a job requirement many places. Being a one-tool player is no longer enough. That's nothing new.
But many event organizers still operate under old assumptions. They're happy to bring in websites and get involved with podcasts. Places like the University of Louisville have figured this out. Others aren't sure how to regard some of these evolving roles. And, to be honest, most have so many in-house writers and photographers that the need for any outside media is shrinking.
Regardless, if you're a reporter trying to wear multiple hats at once, a great many only recognize one hat at a time.
There are games I walk out of where I've written a story, taken still photos, shot some video, recorded a TV standup, taped a separate web video and edited videos for posting. Not to mention all the social media stuff on the side.
Young journalists in the business can do those things almost instinctively. For an old guy who got into the business worried about only one thing — what his 600-word story was going to say in the newspaper the morning after the event — we're a long way from where I began.
A few days ago, humorist and author Garrison Keillor wrote a nice little column that included the phrase "I am a back issue." It was a deft turn of phrase. I'm not there yet but I can empathize.
Quick sips
- The Louisville women's basketball team has a new addition. Yevheniia Putra, a 6-foot-3-inch forward from Kiev, Ukraine, with European professional experience, will join the Cardinals as a freshman next season, according to the program's social media accounts, which posted news of her addition but little else. According to her profile on the website of the European Super League, Putra will turn 21 in June. She most recently played for MBK Ruzomberok of the Slovakian Extraliga. She also has played in the UK, Spain, Romania and Scotland, as well as in her home country, where she was called up to the senior national team last year.
- Donovan Mitchell will be a game-time decision in the Cleveland Cavaliers elimination game Tuesday night against the Indiana Pacers after an MRI on a sprained ankle Monday.
- New name to watch in Louisville men's basketball recruiting: Vangelis Zougris. The 6-foot-8-inch, 265-pound forward plays in the Greek Basketball League and has represented Greece on its senior national team. The 20-year-old has been playing with the Peristeri Athens club since 2021.
The Last Drop
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