I was once a member of the NPPA, the National Press Photographer’s Association. Each year, they select a Photographer of the Year. This year, it’s Andy Shilts from KMSP in Minneapolis, MN.

I don’t know Andy, nor do I bear him any ill will, but I am still a bit stunned that someone can win this award with a reel that consists entirely of feature stories. There are no spot news stories to be seen…no investigative pieces…nothing that makes a lick of journalistic difference. Unless there is no crime in Minnesota or no corrupt officials or anyone in jeopardy, this sort of television news is fine. The instant, though, that you spend resources on fluff instead of covering stories that make a difference, you’ve stopped serving your public trust and should face the threat of having your broadcast license forfeited.

This isn’t to say Andy didn’t do some great work. His stories were shot pretty well. All of them were too long, but they were all mostly enjoyable. It was even a treat to hear the reporting of my old friend Tim Blotz.

Continuing through the winners, the spot news award went to a story about a dog trapped in the sewers. I feel as though that makes my point more than anything. Deadline photography is about a flooded golf course. I can’t imagine, in the post Katrina world, that the best we could do for a flooding story was go to a golf course.

I am just sick of do-nothing journalism. Somewhere out there, someone has to take a stand and require more of our local news outlets.