In late May 2013, Chicago Sun-Times announced that it was laying off its entire staff of 28 photographers to cut back on costs. Instead of hiring new photographers, the paper hired freelance photographers and trained reporters to shoot photographs with iPhones for their stories.
The news caused such a stir in the community that a special edition of the National Press Photographers Association’s “Business Blitz Roadshow” was held in Chicago on July 31 for all laid off Chicago Sun-Times photojournalists. The special session, titled simply “The Sun-Times Lay-Off Edition,” was designed for independent photographers, focusing on the ins and outs of what is necessary to turn a passion into a business model, and eventually a viable business.
The move has been largely criticized by those in the professional photography community as an outrage, a violation of trust, and a myopic mistake. If this were to become a trend, what threat does it pose for journalism as a craft that can be mastered? Will we continue looking to the old guard to dictate the standards of high-journalism? Or is technology now changing at such a rapid rate that the beauty of the process is not appreciated or belittled by the easily accessible shortcuts?
In a recent interview with Mother Jones, photography theorist and renowned professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Fred Ritchin, describes the situation as dire, and that it is likely more photographers may soon face a similar fate due to cutbacks.
“Given today’s budgets for journalism, my guess is that quite a few photographers will be fired in the near future,” Ritchin told Mother Jones. “…Photojournalism has become a hybrid enterprise of amateurs and professionals, along with surveillance cameras, Google Street Views, and other sources.”
While freelance photographers might be willing to work for cheaper total costs, the overall knowledge of the subject matter, mission of the publication or vision for overall editorial outlook can be completely overlooked due to a lack of direct commitment or inside knowledge of the media outlet.
Publications run the risk of alienating their audience by searching for a way to keep costs low and chalking the recent cutbacks up to changing times. Does access to popular photo-sharing applications, which create an excess of amateur content, slowly erode the quality of work expected from an audience?
Ratchin believes journalists of all mediums need to evolve and innovate in order to situate themselves as indispensable commodities. They should be learned on all facets of word, image, and sound, making them a multimedia journalist. In addition, they must combine all skills together to form a powerful and compelling narrative for the audience.
On a broader scale, what could this mean for other staff members at publications, including writers? Crowdsourcing has gained momentum in the journalism field, as well as other industries.
It will be interesting to see how this experiment plays out for the Sun-Times, and if this is only the beginning of a shift from staff to freelance multimedia journalists. Only time will tell if this changing of the guard will be seen as an evolution or a blunder in the eyes of publishing history.
Contact Information
Chicago Sun-Times: https://twitter.com/suntimes
Mother Jones: http://twitter.com/MotherJones
