The New York Daily News a daily tabloid newspaper founded in 1919, and as of May 2016 the United States’ ninth-most widely circulated daily newspaper, eliminated the jobs of all 10 staff photographers as of July 23, 2018. In addition to the photographers two photo editing staff positions were also eliminated.
In the past ten days over half the newsroom staff totaling 98 individuals have been laid off. The Daily News is one of three daily newspapers in New York City.
The story for the U.S. newspaper industry as a whole is largely the same due to the increasing shift from print to the digital delivery of news and information. According to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics since 2000 when there were 424,000 people employed in the U.S. in the newspaper publishing industry that number had dropped to 183,300 by mid-2016.
The Daily News photographers were a veteran group, most of whom had been on the staff for at least ten year. They include: Anthony DelMundo, Debbie Egan-Chin, James Keivom, Todd Maisel, Ken Murray, Andrew Savulich, Howard Simmons, Susan Watts, Marcus Santos and Jefferson Siegel. The photographers will be required to turn in their company-issued camera gear. The Daily News reported on its website that the departing staff would be given 90-days severance pay.
According to the National Press Photographers Association, “Marcus Santos was hired five years ago at the Daily News and was the last staff photographer to be brought on. Previously, he had been the house photographer for Lehman Brothers and was on the trading floor in 2008 the day that financial services firm filed for bankruptcy. The anxiety and sadness for employees at Lehman were similar to this time at the Daily News.
“’We thought it was going to be another layoff,’ Santos said of the Daily News meeting Monday morning. They presumed some of them would survive, especially since the photo department had earnings from reprint sales. ‘We were the only department making money for them,’ he said.
“Santos noted that the identity of the newspaper is tied to its photography and losing all of the staff photographers was not expected.
“Look at the logo of the Daily News – it’s a camera!” Santos said.