Newark Star Ledger Cuts 80% of Photo Staff

Just got word from my brother that he's on his way out. I'm leaving lots of details out, but what's not mentioned in this NYTimes article is that while 40% of the newsroom staff is gone, 8 of the 10 full time photographers were let go, including my brother who had 19 years, one East Coast Photographer of the Year and 3 or 4 NJ Photographer of the Year awards. Not that they all didn't see it coming - it's a dead industry and he's likely better off out than dealing with what's left.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/04/business/media/star-ledger-announces-big-staff-reductions.html

I think it is just a sign of the time. Print news is a day late and when you can go online with your computer and even more so with your phone no matter where you are and get the latest breaking news why would you want to wait. I think the model that will win in the end is online fully supported by advertising and not subscribers.
I don't even watch the local news on TV anymore because I have an app that gives me the details I want and the ability to skim over the ones that do not interest me. We have several news channels on Cable now so no matter what political leanings you have there is a network for you.
Where I do see a problem though is in the photography. Online still needs good photography to sell what they are reporting. iPhonetography is not going to cut it.

Sorry to hear about your brother Jake. Another victim to the WWW.

I think the immediacy of a photo, regardless of quality, has surpassed the need for a quality picture. And with so many phones available and people more than happy to have their photo circulated there is virtually no need for real photographers in newspapers. I think there is in magazines still, but not newspapers.

Very unfortunate, hopefully your Brother will move on to something better. I miss the nostalgia of newspapers and the images they covey. While instant news is good, it seems to be losing any "feel".

Grrrrrrr....:grief: That stinks.

Pardon my ignorance of how photojournalism works as I get news via my Facebook news feed (my TV was on maybe 6 times during the past year and very little radio). What I'm finding with my local news (which is solely available online), is they use photos freely submitted by the public. And these aren't people who are knowledgeable about photography either. Has that been an issue for some of the photojournalists? I've heard about cell phones being used a lot for photojournalism...but is it due to there being so many free photos? If not, how do the major news outlets handle photos?

And how do the news magazines such as Time and US News & World Report handle their photos? Do they have staff photographers or use some other means for obtaining their photos?

@hark: I guess they do it more or less like elsewhere: they have staff photographers but also accept photos from readers/public (from people who like to contribute, either for money or free of charge).

I think also they use stock photo agencies and like said don't really care about how good or bad the photo is.

Just so you can see the photo online that's ok.
Remember last year Chicago trib. let its photo staff go and gave its reporters use there phones
for taking the photo.

DraganDL said:

@hark: I guess they do it more or less like elsewhere: they have staff photographers but also accept photos from readers/public (from people who like to contribute, either for money or free of charge).

Click to expand...

donaldjledet said:

I think also they use stock photo agencies and like said don't really care about how good or bad the photo is.

Just so you can see the photo online that's ok.
Remember last year Chicago trib. let its photo staff go and gave its reporters use there phones
for taking the photo.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. Since I don't want to hijack Jake's thread, let's get back on topic. Jake, what options will your brother be considering?

No hijacking here - it's all part of the business that made this happen. Some points...

• The photo staff is already setup to post as quickly as the reporter with the iPhone. Eye-Fi card sends the shot to their iPhone and boom it's uploaded. It's how their shots get to the editorial staff for the paper as well. The difference? They no longer have to pay someone just to take pictures.
• It was the Sun Times that let go of its staff, and the Ledger seems to be following that model. No word yet on just how much stringer use there will be. The pre-headcutting explanation was that they were going to become content providers for NJ news outlets, but it seems that photo content will either be the responsibility of the reporters, or they will be going to the Weather Channel model of encouraging "newsies" to send their stuff in. As was said, people nowadays just want to see a picture. Photos that tell a story are better, but not worth paying for.
• There are many outlets that pay staff to shoot, including AP that keeps a staff for large events. A number of well known photographers work for themselves and get "On Assignment For" credits. Like "investigative news" teams, photo staffs are being dropped all over as the need for quality (and information) loses over the immediacy (and speculation). Magazines (which are also dying) keep staff, but those that survive will shift focus from content based on current events and instead focus on enriched content that fills a niche.

I suspect my brother will land on his feet, likely making photography a side business. He's been doing the back end of digital for as long as it's been out there, and if he doesn't get snatched up by Canon as a field rep of sorts he can likely do whatever anyone would need from the computer to software end of things. He's also been doing custom printing for a while, including all the gallery prints for some well known photographers and all the shots for NJ and NY Press Photographer Assoc award shows. He and his family have known that this day would come, so they've been preparing and he's had irons in the fire just in case. It'll be interesting to see what he does next.

I would think he could land a job writing and photographing for a Photography magazine. I had a friend who did that (might still be doing it). That seems to be one magazine that still sells.

I'm "back in the biz" of newspapers...

Not as a photographer this time, but as a distribution manager. Indeed this is a dying industry that is struggling to find ways to generate revenue in modern times. I think there is still a place for staff photographers, but they are going to be with small/local newspapers (circulation under 10,000) and online only "hyperlocal" news sites.

The whole newspaper industry has been hit very hard. Heck, I'm doing a job that used to take 4 people to do. There's still plenty of work to get done, but there's just not enough salary money to go around.