When I joined the New York Daily News with another woman who had just graduated from college in 1975, we were the first female "copyboys" employed at the newspaper since World War II. Within a couple of years, I was promoted to studio apprentice and then, in 1977, I was given a chance on "the street" as a training photographer. It's a little unnerving to realize that the time between the end of the Second World War and my becoming a professional photojournalist is roughly the same as between then and now.
Much has changed, of course. Just as photographers no longer work with film and darkrooms, reporters no longer bang out their stories on six-packs of carbon paper with ancient Underwood typewriters. The newspaper is no longer produced with hot type and metal plates. And, in this age when anyone with a camera cell phone can post a photograph or video of breaking news on the Internet within minutes, the Daily News no longer calls itself "New York's Picture Newspaper."
I feel fortunate that I arrived at a time when pictures were still important—though not as much as they once were—at the newspaper. The staff was huge—there were more than 60 men and three other women shooting full time when I left in 1982. Photographs were prominent, and carefully chosen, on both the front and back pages. The middle of the paper—the centerfold—was devoted to the most compelling photographs of the day.
I was surrounded by pros who were right out of Front Page. They knew who to sweet-talk and who to stalk; when to intrude and when to lay back. They knew the difference between a pretty picture and a photograph that told a story. They were hardboiled, but they were not crass paparazzi. They had a job to do, but they realized that their subjects had rights, too.
There's a lot to be said for "citizen journalism" and the ability for anyone with something to say to reach a broad audience instantaneously by posting it directly on the Internet. But the quality of newspapers overall has detioriated as the Internet has grown. Maybe it's simple economics. Maybe it's quality becoming less important than quantity.
Photojournalism in particular has been hard hit at newspapers around the country. It seems that there are few outlets for the photo stories that I was allowed to work on at the Daily News. I don't think that the Internet—yet, at least—is able to convey the power of a well-rendered photo layout. So it is with a measure of sadness that I post a few examples of the stories I was encouraged to develop—including writing the text—during my few years at the Daily News. I apologize for the poor resolution; twenty-five-year-old newsprint is a sorry sight.
