When Fashola was angry with photojournalists/cameramen

Governor Babatunde Fashola sat at the podium from where he was addressing guests at the launch of TheCable news platform established by Simon Kolawale, the former editor of ThisDay. While addressing issues of national importance, he needed to see the audience, but his vision was blocked by photojournalists and TV cameramen taking pictures.

“You don’t stand in the front there blocking the audience. This is not how it is done. Perhaps, you should stand by the sides and allow good communication between the panellists and the audience,” he said. He reminded them that in other countries, photojournalists take pictures from the sides without disturbing the communication flow between the audience and speakers.

The moment he admonished them, they responded and moved to the sides.

Fashola might be speaking the minds of many people at events who feel frustrated by the acts of cameramen who probably don’t see anything wrong in standing in front of the audience at events taking pictures.

When the cameramen do this, members of the audience shift, stretch their necks left and right to see those on the high table, an occurrence that may impede understanding.

When asked why they stand in front of the audience to take pictures, one of the cameramen told BusinessDay “we don’t have long lenses to capture pictures from far.”