Photographers most valuable in news? NTCJ, please take note.
Photographers will soon be the most valuable people in the newsroom, and it won’t be long before they put writers out of jobs.
Why?
Because, when you’re on the go, the easiest stories to consume, create or share aren’t text based. They’re photo based.
With that in mind, the question becomes who’s better to for news sites to hire: A writer they can train to take better photos, or photographers who have honed their skills but need help with context? Good photos are difficult to find for cheap. News sites might as well pay people on staff for images rather than iStock or AP.
This excerpt is a repost from the Business Insider, but it’s worth saying again, I think ? so read the full article here:
Photographers Will Soon Be The Most Valuable People In The News Room
I think that the current trend to fire professional photojournalists in favour of User Generated Content and buying in agency content is short-sighted and self defeating.
The news arena is changing apace, and there is no getting around the uncomfortable fact (for writers) that people just find imagery much easier to engage with.
Video, in particular, will feature heavily in future news outlets. 360° immersive video with interactive content is the future of news, IMHO.
Its certainly where my research is leading me, and a skill I’m working hard to develop.
Just imagine having an experienced, NCTJ qualified, professional photographer, videographer, mobile journalist, who is tech- and social media-savvy, and is also a qualified English teacher and can write snappy, accurate, engaging articles to accompany his outstanding imagery…
Know anyone like that? No? Oh, wait… ?