Photography News

News Photographers, The Times They Are A-Changin’

May 21, 2017 by Rene Anthony

The legendary Bob Dylan put it best when he penned the infamous song, ‘The Times They Are A –Changin’. The tune, which has been used as an emblem of protest and uprising in recent decades, speaks volumes about where we are at today with news corporations and photographers in Australia.

 

Last month, News Corp made the announcement that it would be cutting jobs across its offices throughout the country, with photographers facing the prospect of redundancy. The company initially distanced itself from the gravity of the claims by downplaying the impact of the job losses, saying the business would transition from a “one hundred percent in-house model to a hybrid model where we retain a core team of specialist photographers combined with freelance and agency talent”. In recent days however, the number of photographers facing redundancy has been quoted as being up to 70.

 

What we’re seeing are the very points that Dylan emphasised in his song. You see, apart from the obvious inference that the industry has continually shifted, another underlying meaning is equally as relevant. Dylan put this best in an interview where he underscored the lyrics as being “about the person who doesn’t take you seriously but expects you to take him seriously”.

 

The words are almost a direct analogy for the latest round of job cuts. Not only have today’s news organisations seemingly overlooked the significance that their team of photographers play in the success of their publications, but they have sought to promote a shift in the industry’s dynamics. That is, making photography out to be a ‘task’ rather than a full time, specialist profession.

 

While freelancing and agency photographers may be as qualified as their dedicated peers, the fact of the matter is that the change plays into the hands of the news organisation. On the one hand, they will be able to dictate and increase the workload of their specialist photographers. On the other hand, News Corp will also have control over the costs it pays via fixed salaries for its specialists, and by defining the work of the third party photographers to an hourly or job-by-job basis.


The changes are also something that follow previous industry movement. The more we see these changes take place, the further encouragement they provide to news organisations to follow suit. After all, these companies are competing against one other and trying to stay relevant within an evolving media landscape, where social media has taken a big slice of their profits. What’s more, it won’t come as any surprise when – not if – we see these outlets relying on members of the public to make up for any shortfall in photographic material.

 

As more photographers are pushed out of a full time job and into freelancing, there’s little doubt that they will have a tougher time finding a secure and steady range of jobs without opening their own business – something that doesn’t happen overnight, and certainly isn’t easy when you’ve been in a corporation for a large extent of your working life.

 

 

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