The Sipa Press news agency, named after its founder Göksin Sipahioglu, was created in 1973 in Paris. It is one of the “Three enemy sisters” (Gamma-Sipa-Sygma). The agency distributes the production of the Associated Press in France. Despite this, it has known many financial problems since the 2008 crisis, adventures with the late German agency DAPD before finding a stable group of associates. But its financial situation, like that of other agencies is precarious.
Mete Zihniogluis the director of Sipa Press.
1 / Are Photographers of your agency sick and / or absent (how many compared to the workforce)?
None of our staff has yet tested for coronavirus.
2 / What instructions and equipment were given to your photographers in the field? And have they encountered difficulties with the police?
The photographers with whom we collaborate are independent. Also, each is self equipped. To our knowledge, none have encountered difficulties with the police.
3 / Are you afraid that this pandemic will lead you to review your projects or even close your agency? What impact on your turnover?
There is a before and there will be an after Coronavirus. A before: everything is fine in terms of health, work, love….
An after: for the moment, it is complicated to make forecasts without more visibility. There will surely be financial difficulties, but we will do what is necessary to cope, as we have done for 50 years at Sipa.
Interviewed by email on March 23, 2020
Michel Puech
Official site of Sipa press: http://www.sipa.com/fr
This article first appeared on the A L’OEIL – Journalism & Photography website : http://www.a-l-oeil.info/blog/
