Why the World Dog Press Association?©


Many kinds of publications are an essential part of the dog sport. All the kennel clubs and canine societies have a need to inform their members and other dog enthusiasts about their events, ideas, goals and various things concerning dogs, their welfare, character, conformation etc. So professional press people who really know about dogs are important to all the canine organisations. Nowadays we are used to fast delivery of news in all fields of life, and the news reach quickly even the most remote corners of the world.

The world has shrunk. People can travel more easily than ever, and the big international dog events like World Shows, European Winner Shows, Crufts and various World Championship trials of the working and hunting dogs have grown and become more and more cosmopolitan. These events are of great interest in all countries. Surely also the organisers would like to read positive things about the events they have put much effort on and see good quality pictures in the dog press. Those who work in the dog press wish to transmit this information as efficiently and accurately as possible.

This has not always been easy. The organisers often do not understand the needs of the media. Sometimes the work of the press has been very difficult: the results have not been available, nor has multi-lingual information been provided and conditions for taking pictures have been deplorable.

Everybody watches the sports news. Everybody in the world knows immediately who has won the Olympic medals or set a new world record. The names of the famous athletes are known all over the world. This happens because there are a legion of specialised press people in the sports events and the organisers  ensure that they have access to best places to take pictures, enable interviews with the winners and provide all the necessary information. This is the ideal. Why should it not work in the dog world?

One of the problems in the dog world is that organisations in different countries are different. Some countries have large kennel clubs with long traditions and good financial resources, while in some other countries the whole hobby of pure-bred dogs is a new experience and run by a handful of enthusiasts. In some countries there are publications with large circulation and they can afford to employ professional specialised journalists and experts. In some countries with smaller kennel clubs most things are done by devoted amateurs who make their living elsewhere. Some of the publications are large general magazines, some concentrate on a certain field or breed. However, they are all important to their readers and they all have an important role in promoting the fancy, spreading accurate information about dogs and reporting happenings in the dog world.

Some years ago those who work in the dog press felt frustrated, because of all these problems and also because in many large events the press card was given to anybody without any control. People who never published an article nor a photo were enjoying the privileges meant for serious professionals. They did not respect the instructions of the organisers because they had no idea about professional ethics and made the work of the real professionals difficult. The response of the working press was  to form the World Dog Press Association as the professional body to represent the serious press. It has now become an official, registered non-profit organisation registered in Belgium, as is the FCI.

The aim of the WDPA is to improve the working conditions of the specialised journalists and photographers. Now the organisers of the events can trust that the members of the WDPA have professional attitude and skills.  Magazines and other publications can rely on a certain standard of work, when they order an article or photos from a member of the WDPA. Publications wanting articles or pictures of a certain event or subject, can find the writer or photographer through the WDPA.