Photographers Protest Newsweek's $400 Day Rate

Freelance photographers are upset over Newsweek's $400 cap on its day rate and a number ? including Burk Uzzle, Michael Grecco and Seth Resnick ? have written letters to its director of photography Sarah Harbutt to protest the rate.

In their letters, Uzzle and Grecco refused to work for $400. Photographers say the rate used to be negotiable, and many of them could get between $450 and $600 a day. Earlier this year, they were told that the rate would be capped at $400, an amount Resnick calls "abysmally low." In the past, Newsweek was flexible and "willing to pay much more than that, up to $900," he says.

Photographers' cost of doing business has gone up and $400 is not keeping pace with inflation, many say. Resnick explained in his letter to Harbutt that $400 in 2001 is equal to a fee of about $240 in 1985 dollars. In 1985, Newsweek paid $375 per day. Taking Newsweek's circulation and advertising rates into account, Resnick calculates that the magazine should now be paying at least $740 per day.

"Everyone's screaming about the hardship," he says. "They're using the fact that this year will not be as good as last year as an excuse."

Newsweek made about $440 million in ad revenue last year, and ranks ninth on Adweek's list of 25 magazines with the highest ad revenues. Time and US News & World Report, which rank second and 18th on that list, also pay notoriously low rates.

Advertising photographer Michael Grecco, who has freelanced for Newsweek for 22 years, says: "[The $400] felt like a step backwards and I felt like I needed to say something about it." He adds, "Any magazine should allow negotiations. I have a problem with any business setting both the parameters of the shoot and the terms and conditions under which it will be shot."

Grecco notes that because most freelancers face stiff market competition, they don't say anything when magazines impose unfavorable terms.

Uzzle says, "We're not unrealistic. We love what we're doing, but we don't want to starve...We have to stop letting ourselves be run over." He adds, "It's time photographers say `This is my rate. Take it or leave it.'"

In a twist to the story, Uzzle recently refused the $400 day rate, asking instead for $900 to photograph some death row inmates. The magazine declined, but agreed to photographer Brian Smith's request for $750 for the same assignment, which exceeded 12 hours with travel. Smith, who usually charges the magazine a minimum of $500 per day, found out about Uzzle's discussion with Newsweek after he completed the assignment.

Harbutt deferred questions about Newsweek's day rates. Ken Weine, a spokesman for the magazine, would only say: "What we pay photographers is an internal matter. Newsweek is deeply committed to photojournalism and to maintaining our relationship with the finest photographers in the business."

Resnick took pains not to blame Harbutt for Newsweek's day rate policies, and added: "Hopefully those refusals [to work for the $400 rate] help Sarah push the powers-that-be to get the rates to something substantial so that people can work for them again."

The protests bring to mind the Business Week standoff a few years ago, which resulted in the magazine doubling its day rates and pledging additional increases over the next several years. But that protest was more widespread. And Resnick cautions, "These things take time. I hope [Newsweek doesn't] look at us as enemies or antagonists, but looks at us as what we are ? business partners."

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