Final Assignment

12) Marshall McLuhan once said that “every new technology is an amputation.” What is the downside of the digital revolution, as it pertains to journalism or democracy?

If McLuhan was correct when he famously said, "the medium is the message" what does that mean to the future of photojournalism?

As consumer digital cameras get better and cheaper, images are available from any and every event that often rival that of trained photojournalists. Many are more than willing to give those images away for free just for the thrill of having their name in the paper. Where does this leave photojournalists who've spent tens thousands on equipment, education and training? Pro digital cameras are certainly not getting cheaper! With nearly every legacy media having an "Upload your photos/video" here link on their website, where does this leave the traditional freelancer?

And with the cutbacks in legacy media more photojournalists are forced to be freelancers or self-employed. This means they are responsible for the purchase, maintenance and insurance of their equipment and themselves. This is such a financial burden that many freelancers either go without health insurance or they leave journalism entirely. What is the loss to visual imagery? What incredible photos aren't we seeing because someone didn't take them?

Dirck Halstead is the author of several photojournalism books and the editor and publisher of the Digital Journalist. He published an interesting article on the Future of Photojournalism in 2007.

Also, the Columbia Journalism Review has an article on this topic published in the July/August issue focusing on the Flickr.com issue: http://www.cjr.org/essay/flickring_out_1.php

One of the biggest potential downsizes to the growth of consumer/flickr photographers breaking into the news business is the lack of training of what is and is not acceptable to do to a journalistic photo. PhotoShop is an incredible tool, but there are (and should be) strict limitations to what a photographer can do to alter a photo.

Additionally I plan to talk to staff photographers are various newspapers, freelancers , writers who are now expected to shoot, and some of the "Flickr-type" photographers so I can have as many viewpoints as possible.