This morning the Chicago Sun Times fired the entire photo staff of all of their Chicago area
newspapers. Apparently the photographs for the newspapers will now be taken by reporters using
cell phones, and by some freelancers. I'm told there were twenty-eight staffers who were called to a
meeting and told their jobs were gone effective immediately. I know many of these people, and I
know that many of them were born to be photojournalists. Many of them have been photojournalists
all their lives, and they will never be anything else. Worst of all I think a very sad precedent has been
set by people who are desperate to try anything to improve the bottom line. The newspaper industry
is in trouble, and no one knows how to fix it. No one.