Martin Gee photo documents Mercury News layoffs - add new images after he is laid off

[Robb Montgomery]

Gee updates his "reduction in force" photo series documenting the layoffs at the San Jose Mercury News. Gee was laid off Friday and the last few entries are raw, personal and powerful.


These images document his final moments working for the paper. See the set.

My question: Is Martin the only newspaper journalist with the courage to photo document this tragedy?

[Robb Montgomery]

But this gallery was first published first and linked to by you sir. No?
At any rate . . . it was and is your story. And, indeed. I shall help you find a better job.

Am sending you a private note, too.

[John Zhu]

But that's my whole point about idealism vs. reality. In the purely ideal world, any journalist worth his salt would have long ago said "I don't need this crap", spat in the face of a Dean Singleton or a Sam Zell, strutted out of the newsroom and set all bridges ablaze behind them. But realistically, how are you going to do that when you have a mortgage, family, kids' tuitions, etc. all looming over your head? It's not about whether it's a place where you want to/can practice journalism. It's about whether it's a place where you can pull in a paycheck via journalism. Paying bills is not the noble cause journalists pursue when they embark on their career, but it IS a fact of life. Journalistic ideals are not tantamount to everything else, least of all being able to put food on the table or pay for your kids' doctor's visits. You can't fault anyone for staying silent out of self-preservation in these circumstances.

[Robb Montgomery]

Wow. If self-censorship is what U.S. editors value over collecting and sharing photo truth, observational reporting, and documentary accuracy - then I say . . . Is that a place you want to practice journalism? And can you, really, under any regime that chills factual narratives?

[John Zhu]

Oh I'm not saying that these photos were why Martin lost his job. I don't know anything about this particular case. I'm just saying that doing something like this definitely COULD lead to or at least partly contribute to loss of employment or some other form of retribution from the employer, and in this climate, that has to be something weighing heavily in the back of many journalists' minds, no matter how indignant they may be over the tragedies that seem to be happening almost daily now in this biz. Martin is young and super-talented, and he'll likely find another job, and probably a better job, soon. But not everyone is in that same situation.

[Robb Montgomery]

Martin's job probably was not lost due to publishing this documentry evidence. He worked in a guild shop, so there are a host of other factors that decide what list you go on and how far down you are on it, no?

[John Zhu]

As powerful as Martin's photos are, I don't know how we can fault anyone else for not doing the same. You can't expect people to put their jobs and livelihoods on the line for the sake of "journalistic principles", not in this climate and job market. Ideals have to meet reality sometimes.