Editorial: The beer facts about that photograph

Peter Bingham called to say he had a dilemma. We had set aside a page for the bride of the year event, but one shot stood out as a page one contender.

My news editor warned me "you will probably get a few calls" ... the bride was drinking from a bottle of beer.

When you are in those situations you go with your instinct, and if a news editor ever calls me to say he wants to run a great shot, there would have to be a compelling reason not to back that call.

In the wake of the debate over that picture, I raise my glass to Katrina Hayman, the bride of the beer, and Daily News photographer Cameron Burnell. Taranaki's Bride of the Year contest is the most talked about event I can recall, thanks to you.

And, not surprisingly, it has polarised readers who have congratulated all concerned – and also damned us. So let's talk about why I ran it.

Firstly, Peter Bingham and I knew that running the shot on the front page would ensure Monday's edition would get people talking. The shot presented a stark contrast. Women and Tui beer are usually seen publicly in TV adverts.

This shot was a winner on several fronts – it had humour, it was not posed, it was a picture of our people, and it was unique. And, for the record, Katrina Hayman loved it.

Had she been supping from a glass of champagne, I doubt we would have used it, and had we, I also doubt any reader would have taken offence.

There's another beer's TV advert playing at the moment which touches on the discrimination men felt when wine became the drink in vogue. And I thought it stretched the truth.

When we put together your Daily News, we do not work on the basis that the significance of stories and pictures diminishes the further you go into the news section.

Yes, the lead story is usually what we regard as the major story of the day, but there are occasions when we will celebrate an event and place the major news on an inside page.

The selection of pictures is often made not on news value, but on the success the photographer has had in getting a memorable shot.

That's why a picture taken by WITT student Taryn Utiger of a man and a dog last week made the front page. The story was not earth-shattering but the picture was an eye-catcher. Taryn trumped my team of photographers. Good on her.

Similarly, there is no rule which says winners automatically get priority. That will be a factor, but not a decider.

Quite simply, in news there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to selection, but there is accountability. I am happy to stand accused of challenging readers. My own general manager Mike Brewer was among those who was not initially comfortable with my decision. I can accept that. But the choice was not made to offend or demean the event.

An editor who took that course here would be looking for a new job by the end of the day.

Journalists face a daily challenge to come up with something different, because doing news by rote is boring. Cameron Burnell's shot got people talking – and, as Oscar Wilde said, the only thing worse than being talked about ...

Roy Pilott, Editor