A decisive moment: reimagining photojournalism for a digital future

There is no communication and storytelling medium facing greater disruption by the digital revolution than photography. Anyone with a smartphone and a bit of good timing can compete with the most seasoned photojournalist for space on the front page or homepage, and our collective imagination. But the challenge runs much deeper than the occasional lucky shot from a bystander. The sheer volume of images that now circulates across social media poses fundamental questions of attention and aesthetics, ethics and economics that have ramifications for professional photographers and photo editors, as well as the news industry and public interest as a whole.

Still, the same technological innovations turning the industry on its head hold the seeds for photojournalism to be reinvented for the 21st century. And as we’ve seen from Syria to Charlottesville, the power of photography remains unique in the way it can capture those *decisive moments* that cut through the noise, and bear witness to our world. The panel will explore some of the most innovative new ways of telling stories with still images, ask how longstanding ethical standards can be protected and look for new business models that can help protect the very idea of photojournalist as a viable career path.