Sony makes further inroads in photojournalism as The Canadian Press and Sony announce partnership
posted Monday, January 31, 2022 at 11:00 AM EST
Sony continues to make significant inroads in the photojournalism space with its Alpha series cameras. In July 2020, the Associated Press announced its switch to Sony mirrorless cameras for all its photo and video journalism requirements. Last summer, the PA in the United Kingdom and Ireland announced the same switch, moving exclusively to Sony full-frame cameras and lenses. In November, the USA Today Network and Gannett Co. partnered with Sony. Now it's Canada's turn. The Canadian Press, a trusted news source in Canada for more than a century and the exclusive Canadian distributor of international news from the AP, has made Sony Electronics its exclusive provider for imaging products.
The Canadian Press employs more than 180 journalists and specializes in bilingual media for Canada's anglophone and francophone population. The organization produces digital, broadcast and print media. The move to Sony means that photojournalists and videographers will exclusively use various Sony cameras, including the Sony A1 and Sony A9 II when covering news, politics, lifestyle and sports stories.
'We are honored to announce this collaboration with The Canadian Press, a leader in delivering news and best-in-class multimedia content across Canada,' said Mark Saddleton, Sony Canada Country Head and Director of Sales. 'The journalists at The Canadian Press have a front row seat for Canada's biggest events across politics, sports and entertainment and we are delighted to support their visual storytelling.'
'Sony's innovative technology takes the high quality of our visual journalism to a whole new level,' said Malcolm Kirk, President of The Canadian Press. 'More than 600 media clients rely on our online CP Images archive as the go-to destination for contemporary and historic multimedia imagery of Canada's people, places and events. That's why we were looking for more than just a camera provider. We needed a true partner committed to helping us deliver first-rate visual journalism.'
The sentiments echo what we've heard when other news organizations made the switch to Sony. It's about more than just the camera gear. It's about a fruitful, productive relationship between news organizations, journalists, and Sony. 'From the outset, they've taken a relationship-driven approach to the upgrade, which will bring a unified look to our coverage since all our staff photographers and reporters will be shooting with the same brand of cameras for photos and videos for the first time. They understood the ongoing training and support was as critical as the technology. We're thrilled to have their support as we expand our visual coverage and meet the future needs of our industry,' said Megan Leach. She manages visual journalists at The Canadian Press.
The transition to Sony equipment and the rollout of Sony imaging kits is in progress. Distribution will continue through early 2022.