The Chicago Sun-Times announced today that it has laid off its entire staff of photojournalists.
According to The Chicago Tribune, the move leaves around 28 photographers without jobs. Instead of full-time photographers, the Sun-Times will instead rely on freelance photographers. The layoffs are effective immediately. Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist John H. White was among those laid off.
Forbes notes that the Sun-Times later issued a statement confirming the reports. The paper noted that video is becoming increasingly important to journalism as reporters continue to acclimate to the multi-media world.
“The Sun-Times business is changing rapidly and our audiences are consistently seeking more video content with their news,” the statement reads. “We have made great progress in meeting this demand and are focused on bolstering our reporting capabilities with video and other multimedia elements. The Chicago Sun-Times continues to evolve with our digitally savvy customers, and as a result, we have had to restructure the way we manage multimedia, including photography, across the network.”
Chicago Business reports that the Chicago Newspaper Guild would look into taking action against the Sun-Times and will try to sway public opinion to get the paper to reverse its decision.
As newspapers continue to transition to the online world, more and more of them are adding video content to their reports. Graphics and other visual elements are becoming increasingly important for readers online.