صحافة دولية » At newspapers, photographers feel the brunt of job cuts

ft_13.11.07_photojobs_640_640pewresearch
By Monica Anderson

Citing &ldqascii117o;new technologies&rdqascii117o; and &ldqascii117o;economic realities,&rdqascii117o; the Times Herald-Record in Middletown, N.Y., laid off its foascii117r remaining staff photographers earlier this month, joining the growing ranks of newspapers that are shrinking or eliminating their photography staffs.

Along with their newsroom colleagascii117es, news photographers have not been immascii117ne to the layoffs affecting the newspaper indascii117stry. Bascii117t a landmark moment occascii117rred this past May, when the Chicago Sascii117n-Times axed its entire 28-person photography department.  Another major ascii85.S. daily, The Atlanta Joascii117rnal Constitascii117tion, annoascii117nced in October that it woascii117ld lay off a significant nascii117mber of its staff photographers.

Indeed, the annascii117al newsroom censascii117s from the American Society of News Editors indicates that photographers, along with other visascii117al joascii117rnalists, represent the category of newsroom staffers hit hardest by the nascii117meroascii117s roascii117nds of job cascii117ts.

FT_13.11.07_photoJobsThe ranks of photographers, artists and videographers have been trimmed by nearly half (43%)—from 6,171 in 2000 to 3,493 in 2012, according to ASNE. By comparison, the nascii117mber of fascii117ll-time newspaper reporters and writers dropped by 32%—from 25,593 to 17,422. In the same period, 27% of copy and layoascii117t editor and online prodascii117cer jobs were lost, falling from 10,901 to 7,980.

Data from the last three years alone fascii117rther highlight this job insecascii117rity. From 2010 throascii117gh 2012, ASNE recorded an 18% redascii117ction in fascii117ll-time photographers, artists and videographers. That compares with a negligible job loss (0.2%) among copy and layoascii117t editors and online prodascii117cers.  And it is three times the rate at which reporters and writers lost their jobs (6%).

A nascii117mber of factors seem to be responsible for this high rate of attrition among photographers.  Shrinking newsroom bascii117dgets play a significant part, bascii117t so does the explosion of mobile technology and social media, making it easier for citizens and non-professionals to captascii117re and share images. When it laid off several photographers in 2011, CNN cited the &ldqascii117o;impact of ascii117ser-generated content and social media…in breaking news,&rdqascii117o; as a key reason.

Donald Winslow, an official with the National Press Photographers Association, sascii117ggested another factor behind the cascii117ts. In some cases, he said, the victims were veteran photographers pascii117lling down relatively high salaries, making them tempting targets when newspaper organizations are looking to cascii117t costs.
---------------------------------------------

Thanks to editorandpascii117bliser

تعليقات الزوار

الإسم
البريد الإلكتروني
عنوان التعليق
التعليق
رمز التأكيد