THE PHOTOJOURNALISM ARCHIVE PROJECT

Building Bridges to Empathy

Photo by Carol Guzy

THE MISSION

In an era where the work of photojournalists is devalued and at risk of being lost, we seek to archive and amplify their most important stories so they can continue to affect change, foster empathy and elevate communities.

Photo by David Hume Kennerly

THE PROBLEM

Each year, more than a trillion pictures are taken and billions are shared daily on social media. And yet, the men and women who work on the front lines of history have seen their profession disintegrating under their feet. The result is: 

  • Publications folding in record numbers.

  • Photographers disproportionally laid off.

  • Photo morgues thrown out or sold piecemeal. 

  • Assignments disappearing.

  • Compensation crashing to unsustainable levels.

  • Images stripped from digital stories to save on storage costs.

Photo by Corinne Dufka

PLANNING FOR SUCCESS

The focus of the Photojournalism Archive Project is preserving the visual stories photojournalists have dedicated themselves to documenting.  But, starting an archive is a daunting challenge. To ensure this project’s survival and growth, we are building a digital-based archive focused on displaying the work without the limitations and considerable expense of housing physical material or attempting to acquire complete archives.  

Photo by Renée C. Byer

OUR PROJECT:

  • Allows photojournalists to curate their own visual stories as they would edit and display them.

  • Works with publications to restore the photojournalists’ lost work.

  • Connects masters of the craft with emerging storytellers.

  • Contextualizes the stories to deepen understanding of the photojournalists’ process.

  • Uses the stories to stimulate empathy, build communities and explore solutions.

PHOTOJOURNALISTS ATTACHED TO THE PROJECT TO DATE

Include award-winning staff and freelance photographers with decades of experience sharing the in-depth work they value the most.

Photo by John Kaplan

J. Scott Applewhite

Alan C. Berner

Saul Bromberger & Sandra Hoover

Renée C. Byer

Mary F. Calvert

Cheryl Diaz Meyer

Corinne Dufka

Mary Beth Meehan

Lucian Perkins

Martha Rial

Rick Rickman

April Saul

Tom Gralish

Carol Guzy

Ken Hawkins

John Kaplan

David Hume Kennerly

Yunghi Kim

Paul Kitagaki Jr.

Pete Souza

Barbara Davidson

Pat Farrell

Bill Frakes

…and growing

Photo by Alan C. Berner

COLLABORATIONS

Today’s emerging storytellers are media savvy but often lack the necessary media literacy to engage critically with the material. Our project brings together students and experienced photojournalists to create a dynamic archive on the MediaStorm platform. We believe that this direct, one-on-one mentorship will allow students to engage with the work at a much deeper level.  

Photo by April Saul

We are partnering with the University of Missouri School of Journalism’s Reynolds Institute and the Pictures of the Year digital archive.

This joint effort will generate the only dual archive of its kind and safeguard the project in perpetuity. 

We will also fold both archives into a Digital Asset Management system to support robust academic research into longform visual storytelling. 

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

The essence of a good photojournalism story is IMPACT. These stories are windows into problems we must face, human experiences that unite us, and worlds we have not seen. The Photojournalism Archive Project will ensure these stories live on, long beyond the daily headlines, and remain accessible to everyone.

Photo by Mary F. Calvert

THE STORIES

A snapshot of some of the stories that will be featured in the archive:  

  • The crisis of homelessness. 

  • Sexual abuse of women and men in the military. 

  • The financial impact of health crises on families.

  • The impact of war on civilians, communities, soldiers, countries, and governments.  

  • The costs of child labor. 

  • The clash between environmental protection and economic hardship. 

  • The beauty of the land and the people who live off of it.

  • An inside look at politics in action. 

  • The enjoyment of good music. 

  • The immigrant and the migrant experiences. 

  • What unites a community. 

  • Children learning formal dance. 

  • The environmental impact of generating fuel. 

Photo by Tom Gralish

  • A child’s experience learning to use a prosthetic.

  • A president in crisis. 

  • The impact of gun violence. 

  • Gender affirmation at any age. 

Different title

  • Our goal is that within five years the archive will becoming a self-sustaining project, permanently hosted by the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism. 

  • Simutaneously, the University of Missouri is migrating their Pictures of the Year archive to a digital, online collection. Both archives will be folded into a Digital Asset Management System to create a comprehensive photojournalism database that will allow for in-depth study of the work. 

  • Once built, the joint archives will support a wide range of projects to: 

    • Combat eroding trust in the media and its impact on society.

    • Raise awareness on social and environmental problems. 

    • Explore diverse voices and perspective in storytelling. 

    • Contextualize the impact of photography in social media amid the rise of Artificial Intelligence. 

    • Connect with other archives to create a network of institutions dedicated to photojournalism.

Photo by Martha Rial

Photo by Rick Rickman

THE CHALLENGE

When it comes to preserving their work, staff photojournalists for newspapers and other publications face the added burden that they often do not own the rights to their photographs. While respecting copyright is essential, it should not be the reason the best photojournalism stories are inaccessible. 

Working publication by publication, the Photojournalism Archive Project is building a network of cooperating copyright holders, making it possible to showcase the work in one digital location.

We are finding editors and publishers are very aware of the crises in journalism and supportive of the project.