We are living in a time of transition for the old-line media and journalism, with new technologies and Internet distribution making old jobs obsolete. Recently, ex-newspaper guy Alan Mutter wrote that, "With almost everyone packing pixels nowadays, spot-news photographers are the most endangered species at our newspapers." He noted that when he saw the Queen Mary 2 go under the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco recently, he went to compare photos posted on Flickr with those shot by San Francisco Chronicle photographers. "Although the Chronicle had several fine photographers stationed at key vantage points to record the arrival of the largest ship ever to enter San Francsico Bay, their shots were no better -- and posted no more rapidly -- than those taken by the Flickr clickers," he concluded. With so many efforts by media companies to harness photos taken by the public, are the professional news photographer's days numbered? Or do you think their job will change with the times? Share your thoughts in the comments below and I'll highlight the best ones in the next Your Take Roundup.
Are newspaper photojournalists an endangered species?
by Mark Glaser, February 26, 2007
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