I came across this post on the BBC website by Phil Coomes. The New Statesman have hired a photography editor to take control of the delivering their photographic style.
Wow.
As a youth my parents occasionally took the Guardian newspaper and even through that haze of teenage memory, I remember being struck by the photographs it carried in almost every issue.
I have since regularly read and heard journalists bemoaning the change in the industry, both in written, radio and photojournalism. Don McCullin’s auto biography is very interesting on the subject. John Simpson has even reflected on the changes at the BBC.
I have a selection of World Press Award books dating back to the early 90’s and even in that short span you can see a change in the style of photojournalism – or at least that which is being recognised within the industry. Don McCullin’s stunning and moving photographs from various conflicts through the 60’s and 70’s rarely featured dead people: they reflected on the impact of death in conflict rather than death itself. It is stark contrast to the images that came out of the Gulf Wars.
There seem to be very few news or feature periodicals that seek to make a specific statement in their visual content. So All Credit to the New Statesman. Good Luck to Rebecca McClelland, a true, classic style is a much harder thing to develop than following trends and using gimmicks. I’ll definitely be watching her progress in Easons.