The Lives and Livelihoods of Photojournalists in the Digital Age

The State of News Photography 2018 presents information about the world’s professional photographic community, with a special focus on photojournalists.

Released on 12 December 2018, it is the outcome of a research project conducted by the University of Stirling in the UK and the World Press Photo Foundation. The report is authored by Adrian Hadland and Camilla Barnett of Stirling University, with statistical advice from Paul Lambert of Stirling University. The study investigates the identities, working conditions, practices, technology use, and ethics of a large number of photographers across the world.

Whereas previous versions have focused on survey results from single years, this report is based on an overview of the online survey of professional photographers who entered the annual World Press Photo Contest in the four years between 2015 and 2018.

While a survey of those photographers who have entered the contest provides detailed insights into the lives of working photographers, many photographers do not enter the competition for a variety of reasons. As a result, the report does not claim that this data represents all photographers or the industry as a whole. However, detailed responses from 5,202 photographers from more than 100 countries over four years do capture many of the key issues facing people who choose to make a living from photography. This report summarizes some of the key findings over the last four years, identifying new areas of interest, and reflect, in particular, on issues of gender and diversity and their impact on the industry going forward.

Download the report here. This is the third and final State of News Photography survey; the first was published in 2015 and the second in 2016.

Read a summary of the key findings in 'Photographers are struggling with money, ethics, and work in the digital age — our new research report', by Adrian Hadland, on our online magazine Witness.