What happens to photojournalism when newspapers are struggling to survive, when readers are no longer prepared to pay for news? In the short term, documentary photojournalism is a terrible investment. Investigative journalism takes time; capturing a moment can take an eternity. Time is money, but one picture can be invaluable – and what is the price to be paid if injustices are lost in the dark? Where will we find our information if photographers are no longer sent out into the world? Twitter, Flickr, Youtube? Definitely, but not exclusively. Photojournalism is bigger than a snapshot from the hip. Photojournalism is about telling a story, about discovering, investigating, educating, expanding knowledge and making us ask questions. We know that pictures have, if not rewritten history, at least provided nuances and information and helped to build opinion. A professional photographer can create the visual quality and clarity necessary for a picture to communicate. Something happens when the scope of a story, a destiny, a life, is captured in a picture. Can that picture change the world? No, but it can change a person – and that’s a good start.. Jonas Lemberg, founder of The PGB Photo Award jonas@thepgbphotoaward.com
