ABSTRACT
Over a four-year period between 2014 and 2017, the New Beats project surveyed more than 200 Australian journalists whose positions had been made redundant between 2012 to 2014. The aim of the project has been to “create greater understanding of the process and aftermath of redundancy in journalism and of the human effects and societal ramifications for an industry and occupation undergoing profound change”. Journalism is built on the principle of serving the public interest. This means that, for most news workers, journalism is a life-defining job, and this is especially true for the photographers. Turning to the effects of the disruptions to the Australian news media on the kinds of stories that these news organizations are able to tell, a much more complex picture emerges, particularly in relation to images sourced from amateurs/citizens and from social media. Amateur images may provide immediate updates on distant news events and bring news organizations and audiences closer to events.
