Updated Wednesday, April 15, 11:18 am EST
Careful with religious imagery on any page
Well, why am I not surprised when Frank Deville, a former professional football player and big football fan, sends me these images today. Newspaper editors should know that it is extremely dangerous to have fun by using religious images and symbolism. It has happened again.
This time Die Tageszeitung used a picture of German coach Jurgen Klinsmann “on the cross” and published it on Easter Sunday. Bad, bad, bad.
Of course, the Coach did not think it was funny, and he is taking legal matters into his own hands. The Tageszeitung said it had received a letter from Klinsmann’s lawyer saying the under-fire coach felt his human dignity “deeply and massively” violated by the picture, modelled on Monty Python’s “Life of Brian.”. Klinsmann’s lawyer said the damages could amount to 100,000 euros (132,000 US dollars) if the case went to court.
Coach Klinsmann has been under heavy pressure lately following disastrous results both in the Bundesliga and the Champions League.On April 4, Bayern were humiliated 5-1 by Bundesliga front-runners Wolfsburg. The team relieved some of the pressure on their coach with a 4-0 win at home against Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend, but the German giants stand second in the Bundesliga, ahead of Hamburg on goal difference. That, to many of the fans, is just NOT acceptable. But also NOT acceptable, the treament of the photo with the coach “crucified”.
As usually happens with these controversies, the story has long legs. Bild Zeitung published its version on Page One as well, to increase monumentally the number of readers now exposed to the crucifixion of Coach Klinsmann.
The sales factor? I am sure that this story is increasing sales for Tageszeitung and all the others covering the controversy. That’s usually the case.
And more on football as religion
Alan Formby-Jackson of Gazette Media, in the UK, sends us an interesting follow up to the story above:
Football and religion – try this image of England footballer Wayne Rooney in an ad for Nike!
For ad, go here:
http://www.football-wallpapers.com/wallpapers/rooney_2_1600x1200.jpg
Thanks for sharing this, Alan!
Now, here is some clean photo fun
Meanwhile, in Luxemburg, Le Quotidien, the French-language daily, used this photo of President Obama meeting the Obunny! The photo was part of a page of interesting images from around the world, the type of pages that readers usually can’t get enough of.
It is not a perfectly modular world on these Page Ones
From left, today’s front pages of The New York Times, The San Jose Mercury News, The Los Angeles Times
Even the ever elegant, forever beautifully designed Virginian Pilot goes non-modular today
Our blog posting yesterday discussed the issue of modular versus nonmodular design. Some of you have written and sent me pages where we see that the American newspaper no longer seems to be married to a fully modular look, and the front pages show more dynamism as a result.
In case you missed our blog entry yesterday:
https://www.garciamedia.com/blog/articles/modular_vs._non-modular_design_the_conversation_continues
Mario Garcia Jr’s new blog post:
How ESPN Chicago sticks another nail in the newspaper coffin … and what to do about it
http://garciainteractive.com/blog/view/42/
:
To read TheRodrigoFino blog, in Spanish, go:
https://garciamedia.com/latinamerica/blog/
Rodrigo Fino to speak in Power of Print conference
Our Rodrigo Fino, president of Garcia Media Latinoamerica, will be one of the featured speakers in WAN’s Power of Print conference in Barcelona, May 27-28. Rodrigo will introduce the case study of our project in Venezuela, El Informador, a real success story in times of economic downturn.
More information about the WAN conference:
Power of Print Showcases Newspapers That Increase Readership
The Daily Sun, South Africa¹s largest selling newspaper, is at times
controversial, but its success is beyond dispute: launched in 2002, it has
a readership of nearly 5 million, or a sixth of the country¹s adult
population.
And it is doing it in print.
Fergus Sampson, who helped build it, will explain how newspapers in print
can grow, even in the digital age, at the upcoming Power of Print
conference, a new event organised by the World Association of Newspapers in
Barcelona, Spain, on 27 and 28 May next. Full details can be found at
http://www.wan-press.org/powerofprint2009/home.php
The Power of Print conference, on 27 and 28 May, will be followed by the
World Newspaper Advertising Conference, on the 28th and 29th May, at the
Hotel Rey Juan Carlos I in the heart of Barcelona. Full details of the Power
of Print conference can be found at
http://www.wan-press.org/powerofprint2009/home.php . Details of the
Advertising conference can be found at
http://www.wan-press.org/advertising2009/home.php
Inquiries to: Larry Kilman, Director of Communications, WAN, 7 rue Geoffroy
St Hilaire, 75005 Paris France. Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 00. Fax: +33 1 47 42 49
48. Mobile: +33 6 10 28 97 36. E-mail: lkilman@wan.asso.fr
TheMarioBlog posting #239