When in danger, it's best to see double

When soccer fans riot, photographers stop competing and start swapping snaps. STEVE CLARKE reports

SO far we've been spared.

The disaster on the pitch in Eindhoven earlier this week was not accompanied by any trouble outside the stadium. But no one - least of all the dozens of hacks and photographers standing by on "hooligan watch" - can rule out the chance of Belgian and Dutch streets erupting in violence during Euro 2000.

If that does happen, don't be surprised if the pictures of the trouble look surprisingly similar. For rival media camps, in both TV and newspapers, have agreed to tone down their customary competitiveness for the duration of the tournament.

In an unusual spirit of co-operation, news organisations - concerned that soccer hooligans now regularly target journalists and technicians - have put the traditional objective of filing exclusive pictures and scooping rivals on hold. A broadsheet photographer who has covered several soccer riots explains how the system works: "There's no point in anyone getting hurt," he says from the comfort of his London office. "After taking our pictures, we all see what we've got and then pool the best ones. Often similar pictures from the same roll are selected so they are slightly different. The result is that the same picture will then appear in a range of papers but each one will be credited to a different photographer."

Dave Boyle, associate picture editor of The Sun, acknowledges the practice of "pooling" - and does not disapprove. "There is no official agreement not to compete between papers, but if there's unofficial co-operation between photographers on the ground then so be it," he says.

"We want to ensure we get the best possible pictures for our readers but we don't want the safety of our photographers to be jeopardised for the sake of an exclusive. No one expects photographers to take unacceptable risks in order to get their pictures."

Meanwhile, in television news, Sky and the BBC have been involved in an unprecedented pact.

Following a high-level meeting, BBC News 24 and Sky News have agreed to discuss any breaking riot stories before broadcasting them.

A few days ago, Nick Pollard, head of Sky News, sent out a memo ordering staff to "take great care with the use of pictures of violence". He wrote: "We ought to be wary of putting pictures on the air so quickly that we give the impression that a minor incident is a major one both Sky and BBC agree that competitive pressure to get pictures of violence on screen first should not be an overriding consideration."

An insider explains: "We've been told not to blow up any small scuffle into a full-scale riot and to think twice before going live with any story concerning street violence. For Euro 2000, our normal ethos of 'Get it fast, get it first' does not apply."

Simon Cole, managing editor of Sky News, says: "It's important that TV is clean and is seen to be clean and acting responsibly. We don't want anyone, especially the Independent Television Commission, to think that any rioters are performing for the cameras."

In TV too, safety is a prime consideration. A BBC cameraman was injured two months ago when Leeds United fans turned violent outside Elland Road. In Copenhagen four weeks ago, a Sky News camera crew had to take refuge inside their satellite truck after being chased by yobs.

So, again, there is often a pooling arrangement. Adrian van Klavern, the BBC's head of newsgathering, says that in a cramped European square, it makes sense to send in one outside-broadcast- van, rather than have two vehicles processing virtually identical film: "The pictures can then be sent back to London, where they are fed either to us or to Sky, depending on whose truck is in the square."

If it all sounds very gentlemanly, but behind the surface the old rivalries live on. Asked how much Sky's Euro 2000 coverage will cost, Cole replies: "We don't talk about our budgets but I can assure you that we're spending less than the BBC."

* Steve Clarke is executive editor of Broadcast magazine.

Copyright 2000
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