Another media domino falls at 'Chicago Sun-Times'

In the still-fledging digital world, no job is apparently secure. The entire photography section of the Chicago Sun-Times is the latest – but won’t absolutely be the last – to fall victim to the increasing perception, at least among media moguls, that many others can do their work at a lot cheaper prices. The photographers will likely take legal action but even that will not stop a worldwide threat against what used to be exclusive expertise or comfort zone of professionals.

Like every controversy, there are two sides to the story. The Chicago Sun-Times management has cited the need to overhaul newsroom operations by utilising new technology, like iPhone’s incredible photography functions. The paper’s reporters are reportedly being trained to take photos and videos with their smart phones, a change that apparently makes the job of photographers redundant. Left untold is whether the photographers were resisting changes.

Words that have leaked from the photography section claim that the lay-off may have more to do with financial irregularities plaguing the media company’s top level. The photographers and their sympathisers insist that the purge may have been a result of corruption or mismanagement that the fired employees were not responsible for. 

More criticism focused on the wisdom of “lowering the standard” of news content at a time when the only thing that can differentiate professional media work and “amateurish” content is “quality”. Alleged business problems or irregularities at Chicago Sun-Times aside, the case underlines the dilemma facing media companies around the world. On one hand, they face pressing need to revamp operations and reduce costs at a time when subscription and ad revenues are falling. On the other hand, making employees do jobs of other professionals risk lowering the quality, at least in the initial stages, something that might eventually prove suicidal.

Chicago Sun-Times photographers reportedly received good pays. Web-blogs sympathetic towards them say reporters can never match them in terms of quality. The critics say it is ironic that the management, in an attempt to survive in the digital era, is doing the very thing that will drag the paper’s standard down to the level that consumers will feel reluctant to pay for. We will hear more of this art versus “my 12-year-old kid can do it” argument as businesses around the world grapple with labour problems created by new technology. Both camps have their strong and weak points. “Art”, while requiring some special skills, is facing a growing army of wannabes or imitators who are getting better and better assistance by technology. But devaluing art may also be tantamount to devaluing one’s own business.

What is the middle ground? Apparently, firing the artists is not. But artists’ refusal to adapt is not a solution, either. Sincere talk is needed. The photographers, once convinced by the information, should show readiness to adapt, even if that means working harder or taking some pay cuts. 

We are only seeing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the issue of man versus machine. If news reporters are heaving a sigh of relief following what happened at The Chicago Sun-Times, they should look at Summly, a news app designed by a 17-year-old boy, whose artificial intelligence algorithm will only get better at pulling in news articles from hundreds of sources on the Internet, and then extracting the key points and providing the user with a 400-character summary. In other words, when the concept of Summly reaches its full potential, people will be reading news summarised for them virtually by non-humans. 

Good news for the traditional reporters is that the news app still has some way to go. Bad news is the same as the good news: The app’s just getting started. And just like iPhone when it was first conceived, people who matter can look at it like a non-threat at their own peril.