Chicago Sun Times Fires Photo Staff, to rely on iPhone Photos

Here's the answer to Red Robin's question. Newspaper reporters began to get laid off in the 1990s. The usual method was to put heavy pressure to quit on reporters nearing the age when the paper's contribution to employees' pension plans could no longer be withdrawn. Some (by no means all) reporters were replaced by young unexperienced graduates of journalism schools hired part-time on contract -- no pension plan or other benefits. The quality of reporting went sharply downhill, but that was a negligible side effect. I speak from personal experience.
 
summar said:
Here's the answer to Red Robin's question. Newspaper reporters began to get laid off in the 1990s. The usual method was to put heavy pressure to quit on reporters nearing the age when the paper's contribution to employees' pension plans could no longer be withdrawn. Some (by no means all) reporters were replaced by young unexperienced graduates of journalism schools hired part-time on contract -- no pension plan or other benefits. The quality of reporting went sharply downhill, but that was a negligible side effect. I speak from personal experience.
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Seems to be a game few can see the long term consequences, I have seen it played at NBC, Sears, -- personally, and basically, if you sue, they will hang up for years what benefits you might get.

Have a friend who will have trouble getting a teaching position, he has six years experience, and too many degrees and grad credits-- everyone knows he is very good, but they want cheap inexperienced fresh blood.

These things have almost reversed in the past twenty years. Seems very short sighted, but so do many contemporary things.

In photography, it should not be that way in current media so dependant on the visual -- but it does seem common sense becomes oxymoronic.

John
 
The Sun Times is not in fact using iPhones for all its coverage, sorry to mythbust Internet forum-blogger lore, this was the other day's cover:
1760193.jpg


It is sad that they felt the need to layoff their full time photog's and freelance them back (for some work). So don't even pretend to say I am not sympathetic to those affected, but we must not just make up theories that the Sun Times dumped their staff for iPhones-wielding-reporters....

Now some of their photos have that "cell-phone'y-look"....I say they are doing that for aesthetic reasons.....to feel "fresh-a-la-twitter-esq".....if folks don't like it, one can always read the Tribune....

1748874.jpg
 
My reading was that they were using iPhones AND some freelance photographers, would not be surprised if iPhone is being used as a generic cell phone camera in this context, a detail hardly important?

I did not fact check the link, would make more sense to use some other P&S to me, but that is how I recall the quote.

Perhaps every time they win the Cup they will hire photographers?

Am guessing at major events there will be images for sale, am guessing also they may or may not have sent assigned photographers to Boston?


Regards, John
 
The output for the photo blog of the Sun-Times' competitor, the Tribune, has increased lately. The behind-the-scenes details from their working professional photographers are no doubt appreciated by many.

It's pretty clear that the Sun-Times' photo output has gone down the drain over the past few months. At least it complements their mediocre reportage, which declined sometime in the '90s.
 
furbs said:
The output for the photo blog of the Sun-Times' competitor, the Tribune, has increased lately. The behind-the-scenes details from their working professional photographers are no doubt appreciated by many.

It's pretty clear that the Sun-Times' photo output has gone down the drain over the past few months. At least it complements their mediocre reportage, which declined sometime in the '90s.
Click to expand...

That was my thought when I posted this. Our local paper has had some truly excellent photographers. I began working for the paper just after they dumped their 4x5s, bought Nikon Fs, pulled a few more guys from the Copy Boy staff, gave them some training and put them in the field.

Some of them worked out really well, and they hired some very talented folks down the line, but they are planning to go to publishing three times a week, and I know they have lost much of the talented staff.

Shooting for a paper was respected as a good gig -- I always felt when I was on assignment that I had to tell the story, and if I could get an image that was meaningful on its own-- that was a good thing.

Reportage has certainly been a force in photography, I believe all the more for RFs as so much of what is required is in the strength of what a RF does.


Regards, John
 
As soon as the big cameras get WiFi this may reverse some what. I am sure the instant uploading of a phone picture, dead lines and pressure on printed news to keep up has something to do with it.
News is all about getting the news out first. Screw quality.
The Instagram picture of the downed plane in SF was all over the news first.
 
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