Johnston Press decision to axe all staff photographers in Midlands and Scotland 'disastrous'
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has described Johnston Press’s decision to dismiss all staff photographers at its Midlands papers and Scottish titles as “disastrous” and “dangerous”.
Cuts: Johnston Press is letting a number of staff photographers go
Following a review of how photographic content is generated, a number of staff agreed to take an enhanced voluntary redundancy package while a minority are facing compulsory redundancy. It's unclear exactly how many jobs will go, but in November the NUJ reported that around 24 staff photographers were facing redundancy. Instead, titles will now rely on freelance photographers and reporters using smartphones to take pictures.
Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, said: “This is a disastrous decision, not just for photographers, but for readers and advertisers of newspapers, who will notice a huge difference in the quality of pictures.
“It is not just a matter of pressing a button on a mobile phone. NUJ photographers and picture editors work to a code of conduct and are responsible for ensuring captions are correct and pictures verified.
“I hope Johnston Press has alerted its lawyers; dangerous mistakes will be made if a paper’s picture policy is left to the general public.”
The titles affected include newspapers in Lincolnshire, Warwickshire, Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire.
Andrew Wiard, chair of the NUJ’s Photographers' Council, added: “The NUJ supports the role of professional image makers in providing images to the media.
“The fact that many bystanders now have cameras is no guarantee that newsworthy, well-shot, usable images will result, that caption information will be accurate and appropriate, or that the rights of creator of that content and those shown are respected.
“Sacking photographers only makes sense in a world where quality and accuracy count for nothing, where readers are treated with contempt and where the organised theft of other people’s images is going to be carried out on an industrial scale.”
Johnston Press’s most recent figures showed a growth in operating profit of 7.8 per cent and digital revenue growth of 32.8 per cent.
The company’s operating margin grew by a fifth following £32.4m of further cost cuts, however total revenue fell by 6.8 per cent and advertising revenue was down by 6.5 per cent. The figures covered the 18-week period up until 2 November 2013.
At the time, Ashley Highfield, CEO of Johnston Press, praised the company’s largest publishing unit in the Midlands for reaching a “digital tipping point” when its local digital revenue overtook the decline in local print revenue.
The news comes ahead of Jeff Moriarty, currently VP for digital products at the Boston Globe, beginning his post as chief digital and product officer at Johnston Press in April, an appointment announced earlier this month, as the company continues its shift towards digital.
The latest round of job cuts follows significant job losses at the publisher in recent years amid a period of major restructure. Nearly a quarter of the workforce was laid off between 2011 and 2012.