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December 11, 2006

The demise of the photojournalist

Dan Gillmor, the pioneering journalist who pulled up stakes and moved onto the net before just anyone else, is predicting the end of the photojournalist and videographer as a profession. His argument is that in an age of digital cameras and Youtube, proximity and speed is going to trump experience and skill. Probably true, and I wouldn't be surprised if blogs replace the foreign correspondent (if they haven't already). It's sort of sad to see the quasi-romantic era of the globetrotting reporter come to an end....but on the other hand it was bound to happen eventually.

2 comment(s) so far (Post your own)

1

On December 13, 2006 12:57 AM, Mandingo said:

Patent hogwash...

2

On December 14, 2006 12:03 AM, killahmullet said:

Once again someone is confusing content creators with distribution networks.

Pros are pros. Not everyone can be at a media event to take a photo, nor are there a lot of YouTubers riding around with U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Why? Because the people who do the work and get paid for it have credentials. They dedicate their day to the work. They may miss the "first photos" but they will be the ones following the story throughout the day, night, etc.

Regular citizens can snap a photo or two of a major event, but when push comes to shove they are going to return home to watch the story unfold as it is told by professionals who are paid to cover it.

Sure, some freelancers may be able to make a better living by distributing to new Internet-based news services, but it's the same game in the end.

You need to be able to feed yourself to do this work, and someone has to pay the bills. The game is changing for sure, but it's not the end of life as we know it.

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