The “great editorial culling” that occurred in print in 2020 waned this year, but its scars remained. In Australia, NewsCorp stopped printing 112 newspapers in May 2020. 36 closed and 76 became online only. In July 2020, Bauer Media (now Are Media) magazines Harper’s BAZAAR, ELLE, InStyle, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Good Health, NW, and OK! closed shortly after Mercury Capital acquired the company. The pattern was the same throughout the world. The “great democratisation of photography” showed no signs of abating either. Unearthing less established [read: less expensive] photographers became not only a budget necessity, but a trend – aided and abetted by the diversity movement. Less work, smaller commissions, and more photographers promised that 2021 would be a challenging year.
Then came a second wave of COVID. This…
