Who created the Photo Bill of Rights and why?
The Photo Bill of Rights was authored by a group of individuals from grassroots organizations working toward dismantling harmful practices in the visual journalism and editorial media industry: the Authority Collective, Color Positive, Diversify Photo, Juntos, Natives Photograph, the National Press Photographers Association, The Everyday Projects, and Women Photograph.
How can the Photo Bill of Rights help lens-based workers?
Through the Photo Bill of Rights and the supplementary resources, we hope our industry colleagues feel inspired and empowered to bring their concerns to hiring bodies and institutions, engage in thoughtful dialogue around these issues, and establish ever-evolving practices of personal and institutional accountability.
Who is included in your definition of “lens-based workers”?
Lens-based workers includes (but is not limited to) independent and staff photographers, videographers, editors, interns, photo assistants, and photo producers working for news organizations, publications, companies, and other hiring bodies within the visual journalism and editorial media industries, or “the industry.”
Does the Photo Bill of Rights offer protections to lens-based workers?
The Photo Bill of Rights is not a legally binding document; this is a call to action. This is a guide. This is an ethical code. This is an opportunity to recognize the problems within our industry and act to solve them.
I’m not an independent lens-based worker in the editorial or documentary space. How can I adapt this for my field?
Though the Photo Bill of Rights speaks primarily to the concerns of independent workers in lens-based visual journalism or editorial fields, the concerns we describe may apply to workers outside the industry (for example, in the film industry or fine art world). With citation, we invite members of adjacent industries to build on this document to push for change in other fields.
How can I support the Photo Bill of Rights?
The Photo Bill of Rights has been the product of months of labor. And this is just the beginning. You can support our push for a more just and equitable industry in a number of ways:
— If you are a lens-based worker, sign the Photo Bill of Rights and share about this effort. Start conversations with other workers about the kind of industry that can better serve all of us. If you are a hiring party within the visual media industry, you can use the Photo Bill of Rights to push for change within the institutions you work for. Start conversations with people in your workplace about how to implement changes. Leaders of institutions can best support the Photo Bill of Rights by actively dismantling practices that marginalize workers and investing in the time and resources required to keep workers safe and supported.
— If you are not a lens-based worker or hiring body within the visual media industry, please share this project with your networks. If you have connections to publications, institutions or organizations, reach out to those contacts to let them know you support the Photo Bill of Rights.
— Donate here!
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