[Leica] Photojounalism lives

["Alan Hull" <hull@vaggeryd.mail.telia.com>]

LUG-nuts  (slightly off-topic question)
I was surprised at the apparant negative attitude among the PJ's on this
list regarding the current health of Photojournalism.  I would have thought
the demand for good photographs of news events, and topical photo stories
was increasing.  After all, the world is becoming more literate.  Eastern
Europe (ex USSR) are experiencing their first free uncontrolled press. 
Both the West and the East must be thirsty for photographs of each other,
in what was previously a virtual vacuum.  

Given that the traditional magazines are in the control of the money hungry
bean counters, but hasn't that always been the case?  More or less.  Isn't
it more likely that bean counters are more likely to play safe and employ
graduates from a PJ school with "documentation" rather than risk employing
a "natural" like a traditional editor would have done.  

Do PJ schools in the desire for uniformity stifle individuality and hence
produce bland copy for the magazines they work for.  Dont please
misunderstand me, I'm not saying that PJ schools are bad, only that if a
photo department is staffed soley by graduates isn't it a little
unbalanced.  Is i the fact that PJ schools graduate SO MANY that it creates
a play safe dont rock the cradle workforce.

I don't understand why, in a world thirsty for news and news in pictures,
photojournalism should be in decline.  I havn't expressed myself well at
all.  There must be a reason why the public is being short-changed.  The
audience for LIFE is still out there, unless of course the simple reason is
that they are watching TV.

Alan Hull