Chicago Sun-Times lays off its photo staff

[jakeXT]

Chicago Sun-Times lays off its photo staff

The Chicago Sun-Times has laid off its entire photography staff, and plans to use freelance photographers and reporters to shoot photos and video going forward, the newspaper said.

A total of 28 full-time staffers received the news Thursday morning at a meeting held at the Sun-Times offices in Chicago, according to sources familiar with the situation. The layoffs are effective immediately.

The newspaper released a statement suggesting the move reflected the increasing importance of video in news reporting:

"The Sun-Times business is changing rapidly and our audiences are consistently seeking more video content with their news. We have made great progress in meeting this demand and are focused on bolstering our reporting capabilities with video and other multimedia elements. The Chicago Sun-Times continues to evolve with our digitally savvy customers, and as a result, we have had to restructure the way we manage multimedia, including photography, across the network."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-chicago-sun-times-photo-20130530,0,4361142.story

[DontTreadOnMe]

1. Race to the bottom...

I have been a professional photographer for 25 years. I used to specialize in catalog work. Most companies realized that an "in-house" staff provided higher quality and cheaper costs.

Then the internet came... and printed catalogs took a huge hit.

So I moved to magazine work... same end.

Companies don't want "staff" people for anything anymore. They can have the "freelancers" all scramble and low-bid just to get any work. It drives the costs down. Who cares about quality... just give anyone a camera and send them out i the field.

The "digital savvy" customers will never see the difference...

America's race to the bottom. Why have staff, they require healthcare.

[JoDog]

2. I'm a professional writer (and ex-Chicago suburb newspaper copy editor)

and my experiences are pretty much the same. Right now, I have one of the last of the "good" gigs--on staff writing ads for a catalogs for benefits. Soon, I will leave that behind because of a relocation in the family. Probably, I will embrace freelancing full-time, work in another industry, and continue toward getting my own business off the ground.

Those businesses that want content do not want to pay for it. I cannot count how many ads I see that off compensation only for a byline or for something to add to a portfolio. Then, the editors and employers are mystified as to how they cannot find anyone who can do quality work. They cannot or refuse to connect the dots and realize that anyone who can do quality work cannot afford to do it for free.

The first sad fact is the 28 shooters laid off today will spend a long weekend consulting with each other, their families, and their union reps. On Monday, many of them will show up at the CST offices and offer themselves as freelancers for reduced compensation. They have little choice in the short term. They have to support themselves and their families.

The second sad fact is (and I am so sure of this I am willing to bet money I don't have on it) someone already has called up the CST sports desk to offer to take photos for them for free if they can get a pass into the next Blackhawks Stanley cup semi-finals game. If the predicted downpours over the next 12 hours result in flooding, I bet someone will call in willing to exchange a photo of a watery street just for their name in the paper. Why is that bad? There is no promise of quality. Those people are not earning money they can turn around and put into the economy. That is not how to end a recession.