NY Post: A bastion of good taste in its dealings, too

The Photo Business News & Forum has posted commentary on the NY Post's staff photographer "tryouts." Even though they have open submissions, the expectation is clearly implied that applicants should own all of their own gear, as opposed to borrowing or (gasp!) renting like any other mortal.

From The Photo Business News & Forum:

"...photogs continue to feel insulted at the very idea...someone logs the serial numbers of their camera equipment. This is to make sure they have their own pro gear and aren't just borrowing it from other freelancers..." (yeah, right, and I'll sell you the Brooklyn Bridge to boot)...

Perhaps they desire photographers who will submit themselves to any indignity for a better paycheck.

A list of their criteria can be found at PDNPulse:

...the photographers are put in a car and driven up to the Post printing plant in the Bronx. Once there, they must complete three mock assignments:

* Photograph someone through the window of a car.

* Photograph someone leaving a building (as if on a perp walk).

* Photograph a piece of artwork (as if capturing a family photo or other document out in the field).

...I suppose copyright violation is among the criteria. Awesome. Also mentioned is a NY Post article about the "left-leaning" New York Times and the outburst of their Director of Photography Michelle McNally as she was attending a "well-lubricated" party. An epithet for homosexual males was apparently involved.

I was under the impression that, unlike most of us lefty elitists, the NY Post and its readership would file the three-letter term under "playful insult" rather than "slur." Wouldn't they think of this as another case of political correctness run amok?

It's great to see that "conservative" newspapers like the NY Post are upholding their tradition of smear, poorly attempted character assassination, and low-rent written pornography with an expose on name-calling at a party. So much better that it's aimed at a well-respected member of an enduring example of classic journalism.

Oh, and it's terms like "well-lubricated" to describe an office party that keep rags like the Post on the dusty bookshelves (often doubling as milk cartons) of the mentally ill.

7/25/2007, 11:24 AM MT UPDATE: ABC joins this train of shame.