If Owen's writing the story, there's likely to be a business element to it ;)
Payment? A tricky one.
The Daily Post isn't a national and I doubt it has any budget to pay for photographs to accompany a story that's not going to sell any more papers.
Local papers have taken a bashing from the internet and many are on the brink of folding. It's the way the world has gone.
There are also a lot of people who are willing to offer photographs for free, just for the credit - so there's no need for a lot of papers to pay.
That's just the way it is, like it or (more probably) not. A two page spread in a national, you've got a chance of payment. The Daily Post, not unless it's very newsworthy.
They've published two or three of my photos in the last month, for no payment and I can't say I'm fussed about it. (In neither case was I taking work from paid photographers).
No point in haranguing Owen - he's got a job to do and he's not got the budget to pay for photographs.
My only thought would be whether anyone wants to publicly put their name to a photograph taken inside a mine they weren't supposed to be in 😉
Hello again darkness, my old friend...