1 Happy May Day! Did you know most photojournalism labour in Canada is freelance? It’s incredibly precarious work that’s in danger of vanishing. Imagine what your news would look like without photojournalists 🧵 #DemocracyUnseen #DemocracyUnderThreat 
2 We will be sharing redacted front pages here, to help visualize what we would be missing without photojournalists. This affects communities of all sizes, please share your own if we missed your local outlet.
3 Precarious work means no security, no labour protections, unsustainable rates &, until UPOC, no collective action #DemocracyUnseen:
4 No media jobs are safe, but photojournalists get cut much more often than our colleagues. There’s only a few staff positions left in Canada, so outlets rely on freelancers for this critical newsroom role: pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013…
5: In Canada, photojournalists have faced huge cutbacks and job losses #DemocracyUnseen #DemocracyUnderThreat #JournalismUnseen:
petapixel.com/2016/01/26/lay…
petapixel.com/2016/01/26/lay…
6 Most freelance rates have been stagnant for at least 15 years. Staff jobs come with equipment, benefits, medical and mental health support. Freelancers—who still respond to traumatic, dangerous stories in the public interest—must cover that all on their own. #DemocracyUnseen
7 Even worse, some freelance work looks a lot like employment: it has schedules, being told what to do, discipline, and dependence on the publication for income. But without workplace protections. @Unifor87M @cwacanada1 @CanadalandUnion @NatObsUnion @bfcaunion @CMGLaGuilde
8 By classifying staff as “freelance”, those photographers are deprived of worker protection laws, unemployment benefits and health and safety protections. It’s a huge cost savings for employers that shifts the costs to individuals.
9 For years freelancers have struggled alone, but during the COVID shut downs, we could no longer ignore unsustainable rates, bad contracts, and lack of institutional support or work stability. We had to do something and we had to do it together.
10 That’s when UPOC was born. We are the first organized movement of freelance photojournalists in Canada. UPOC is committed to re-building a sustainable industry through community and collective action. #DemocracyUnseen
11 The 1919 Winnipeg General Strike set the stage for labour reforms in spite of violent repression. News photographers captured that turning point in Canada’s labour history but their counterparts today are fighting to survive the gig economy. #DemocracyUnseen
12 Here are some more of those 1919 photos, and a brief history of Labour in Canada. Notice how much more visceral Bloody Saturday history is with the news images. newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform/blood… canadianlabour.ca/uncategorized/…
13 Our 2021 Canadian survey illustrates the need for collective action. Of 79 respondents: 85% are freelancers, over half reported earning under $40,000/year, over a quarter under $30,000/year. 81% “strongly agree” existing standard rates in photojournalism are not sustainable.
14 ☝️☝️☝️ is what we mean when we say Canadian photojournalism could easily disappear all together. Remember basic photo equipment costs approximately $20,000, plus a car and all of the business overhead. #DemocracyUnseen
15 Here’s a breakdown of some basic costs for a photojournalist to stay in business for a month, excluding dental, physical and mental health costs:
16 UPOC survey income reporting correlates with @catchlight_io‘s 2022 State of Photography, that reports around half of international respondents earned less than $40,000USD/year. It's an illuminating report, but for now, back to the UPOC Canadian survey. catchlight.io/state-of-photo…
17 Almost three quarters (72%) of respondents said their mental health suffered from working as a freelancer in the industry, citing reasons like PTSD from reporting, isolation, job instability and not having enough income to pay the bills. canadaland.com/photojournalis…
18 41% report systemic barriers including racism, sexism, transphobia, classism, and xenophobia. 88% of respondents “strongly agree” a collective front during negotiations with outlets can be an effective strategy in Canada. #DemocracyUnseen
19 Back to the question at hand—can you imagine what your news would look like without photojournalism? How might we remember history differently without some of the definitive images of our time? How might it change our understanding of those moments and of our country?
21 In our current media climate—where misinformation and disinformation are rampant, where inconvenient information gets branded fake news, where even factual events can be so incredible they are hard to believe—seeing professional photojournalism can be believing.
22 A 2020 Syracuse University study on the perceived credibility of professional photojournalism states among the findings that “photographs are deemed more credible when the photographer and the platform are identified as professional” surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewconten…
23 Photos, along with headlines, graphics and comments, were critical to winning over people with low trust of the media, according to a 2022 study by the Reuters Institute and the University of Oxford. #DemocracyUnseen
poynter.org/ethics-trust/2…
poynter.org/ethics-trust/2…
24 According to @NPPA eye tracking research, people can tell professional from user generated photos 90% of the time—and are more likely to linger on and share professional photos. Professional photojournalism was also found to be more memorable. nppa.org/news/eyetracki…
25 An analysis of the Times Herald-Record, before and after management cut its entire photo department, found that “when newsrooms eliminate photojournalism staff, they cut down on photography that is graphically appealing, emotional and intimate.” #DemocracyUnseen
26 Non-professional photos were found to be less engaging, and were used less frequently and less prominently in the newspaper. #DemocracyUnseen americanpressinstitute.org/publications/r…
27 If we are going to overcome any of the challenges of our time, we need great photojournalism more than ever. To get it, we need sustainable labour practices for photojournalists, including and maybe especially for freelancers. #DemocracyUnseen #DemocracyUnderThreat
28 We know this issue matters in every community. So how would your local news look without us? Is your front page in this thread? If we missed it, post your local version of #DemocracyUnseen and tag the outlet to remind everyone what we could lose without photojournalists.
29 And remember, all Canadian photojournalists have a standing invitation to UPOC Monday evening meet-ups, where we workshop solutions. 6pm ET/3pm PT #Mayday #journalism #DemocracyUnseen
@caj @Canadaland @Unifor87M @cwacanada1 @CanadalandUnion @NatObsUnion @bfcaunion @CMGLaGuilde @vicecanada @globeandmail @TorontoStar @nationalpost @CBCNews @globebusiness @ThePigeon @torontolife @LeDevoir @leaderpost @WinnipegNews @mtlgazette
@calgaryherald @VancouverSun @theprovince @OttawaCitizen @DailyGleaner @edmontonjournal @pentictonherald @thebrandonsun @timescolonist @LP_LaPresse @LeDroitca @StJohnsTelegram @TheStarPhoenix @leaderpost @Edmontonsun @chronicleherald @Leth_Herald @WR_Record @TheSpec @LFPress
@TheWindsorStar @whigstandard @SudburyStar @WhitehorseStar @thenarwhalca @thelocalhealth @NatObserver @theTyee @the_logic @CF_Guild @NPAC_APPC @nppalawyer
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