Pulitzer-Winning Photojournalist Resigns Rather than Fire Half His Staff

Last friday, Dayton Daily News photo editor Larry Price received instructions to lay off half of his photo staff. Rather than follow through with the order, Price — a 35-year veteran photojournalist and winner of two Pulitzer Prizes in photography — decided to sacrifice his own job instead, resigning from the post this past Monday. Ginger Christ of the Dayton BizBlog writes,

In his 35 years as a photojournalist […], Price has seen the industry shrink, watched as newspapers cut their workforce and all but eliminated photography departments in efforts to consolidate and cut costs.

“I’ve watched this happen in newspapers year after year now. I’ve had many, many friends that have been affected, many stellar journalists,” Price said. “These people are my group. They’re my friends. They’re my colleagues. I’ve asked so much of them in the four years I’ve been here. Every time, they’ve stepped up to the plate and delivered. It wasn’t a decision I could make in good conscience.”

Price is also troubled by the fact that newspapers abandon photojournalistic quality when photos don’t help increase profits, saying, “the bottom line simply is not as important as what information can convey to people in helping them make decisions.”

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