I recently posted my first article to Demotix to see how it all worked out. Sad to say, it's not going to win you any fans or money. The story was approved on the Demotix website and I was very disappointed with the results on how news is sold to publishers and news organisations. Demotix says that your news content is pushed out immediately to all news publishers once it is approved for circulation but nothing was said about keeping the news from the prying eyes of the world.

Content is Freely Available to Everyone

A news story in my case was made up of text content and picture content. The content in question was free to view to just anyone and there was even sharing buttons for Facebook and Twitter! WTF?
I was given the impression that Demotix only sold these items to verified News organisations, wire services, etc. Apparently not! You can see the number of views within your published story and Demotix actively encourages you to spread the word to get more hits. Pictures are protected with a watermark but it won't take much for someone with Photoshop to remove it. Content is King so they say but here, it is treated like a five dollar whore.

Limit Content Exposure for best Results

Content, regardless if it is pictures or text should not be let out into the wild. Demotix should have done was limited the views on the submitted stories to genuine news agencies and publishers. A story summary could be used as a lead-in to the content and if they wish to read more, News Publishers should get the proper accreditation. News publishers are not going to pay for a story as long as it is out everywhere on the Internet with generated 'likes' on Facebook shares. Facebook shares and likes are not going to earn you money. It works in the opposite manner by devaluing the content.

Profit Sharing on Page Views

Starting January 2014, Demotix will split the advertising revenue with you for every page views you get on their site. WTF? How many people would subscribe to reading the news on Demotix is beyond me but it certainly is not a pay to use website. There is no pay wall and the feed goes out to the world for free. Anyone can carry a link to that feed.

As far as it goes, earning money on page views isn't going to cut it unless you're posting porn links which in turn generates millions of hits. You'd be lucky to get $10 dollars for all your effort to bring one story to the table and yes, that fee isn't going to pay for your transport cost. Even a horse cost more to maintain in fresh oats.

What Corbis can do for You?

Corbis is the big name behind Demotix. That said it should be pretty reputable but the way in which they treat your content is just not going to cut it for you. Demotix believes that citizen journalism is going to change the way news is covered around the world but don't leave your day job for it.

It is true that you don't need a lot to be a photojournalist for Demotix. The mobile app for both Android and iOS gives you the freedom to post from anywhere so you can work whenever you want.
Demotix is probably a good stepping stone towards a paying job in journalism and not the other way round. Content which are more text heavy—meaning with interviews and quotes used to make the story, are seriously not worth your time to cover. Text is not protected under Demotix and anyone can copy and paste that story onto their news clip without ever attributing it to you or Demotix. News items should have an international flavor to be featured, so unless you live in a city which has an international focus chances are your don't have a story worthy enough to make the news. That said, should you ever take a stab at this, make sure you have captured the attention of the masses with a damn good collection of stories with the ultimate intention of landing you a full time paying job somewhere else.

I have the upmost respect for photojournalist, especially those who risk their lives to report in the nether regions of social justice. Think Don McCullin, Kevin Carter and Eddy Adams. I had the pleasure of meeting Eddy Adams once in the 1990s and was in awe of what he had done. To risk his life to report the news was indeed noble.

Since then, the transition to digital photography and digital imaging has taken a huge chunk from this once reputable profession. The pay is no longer rewarding, and your employers would rather not send you into a hot zone just because they are reluctant to pay your expenses or take out a Lloyds of London Insurance Premium. The decline of print based journalism made it totally unfashionable to get qualified photojournalist into the hot zone and thus was born Demotix. This is where newspapers like Le Monde, BBC, WallStreet Journal and New York Times start looking for a cheaper alternative and it's not Reuters, AP, UPI or AFP.

Demotix hopes to change how photojournalism works by offering you the chance to work like a pro and be paid like an amateur should you suddenly find yourself with too much free time on your hands. Profits are split 50:50 but there is no mention on what is the going rate is for pictures and videos.The term "profits" is contentious. Profits are not calculated at "gross" as there is a withholding TAX which is applied to your earnings. Even though you are working and reporting from a place outside of the UK, Demotix will minus your earnings for UK Tax.

Press Credentials for Amateurs

In the old days, this was the passport to getting great news but these days, a Press Pass is more useful for getting into a rock concert without paying. You can only apply for press credentials from Demotix after you have logged in 20 stories. If you don't have 20 stories to your name, you'd have to fork out US$20 for one.

This makes good sense as the press credentials will offer you a chance to roll with the crowd at public events, expos and product launches. It might even get you pass a police cordoned line if you are lucky. This card will enable you to get a validated national news accreditation, which is far more valuable for collecting news items from you own country.

Equipment Questions

Fortunately for most of us armed only with an iPhone, this is only requirement you'd need to apply to send news to this agency. Demotix takes both still photos and video feeds so whatever you have, you can load it up and send it in. DSLR are the preferred choice but your trusty iPhone will do should Godzilla ever came ashore in a hurry.

Items shot with a DSLR will have to be uploaded using a web browser so there is no real preference to equipment by Demotix. You do not have to use their custom iPhone app just to upload news items.

For the mobile photojournalist, Demotix only offers an iPhone app (which should work on an iPad I reckon) for those quick uploads but no word yet on an Android or Windows Mobile (or Blackberry) app.

From Demotix's business model, I had to refer to the Wiki which said that your news stories would be sold from between US$50 to US$3,000 per story. Demotix can also sell exclusive stories at a much higher rate though I do not expect this to be the norm. Exclusive stories cost you money and time, and if you are not well heeled enough to crack the next Watergate or Irangate feature, I doubt you can score an exclusive.

Even though Demotix may not offer you the best news credentials to carry out into the field, it does offer you a way to get started in the heady world of photojournalism armed with only the bare essentials.

Making Money Opportunities

There are many of us who dream of breaking into the news industry. Unfortunately every blogger on the planet seems to have the same idea and for you to score points above them, you can't be desk bound. If you like going about and looking for things to report on, there is plenty to do.

To be fair, Demotix offers you the opportunity to break into the this world and it should not be taken lightly. Being in the position to offer news to the world is something unique and can even be life changing. Think of it as a stepping stone to your next career option.