About a dozen staff photography positions at American City Business Journals are set to disappear Jan. 1, according to multiple sources cited by Talking Biz News. ACBJ operates 45 business publications nationwide, and affected full-time photographers were told they could continue contributing as freelancers.
The move comes as many ACBJ publications already use freelancers or staff writers to take photographs, Talking Biz News reported. The outlet also reported that company executives had not responded to an email seeking comment as of Tuesday.
Which Papers Still List Photographers On Staff
Photographers are still listed on staff pages for several ACBJ publications, Talking Biz News reported. They include the South Florida Business Journal, the San Francisco Business Times, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal and the Charlotte Business Journal, where ACBJ is based.
A Separate Twin Cities Newsroom Move
In a separate Twin Cities newsroom action, the Minnesota Star Tribune eliminated 24 union jobs, but no news-gathering roles, including photographers, according to MPR News, which reported the move on June 24, 2026.
Part Of A Rougher Year For Local News Jobs
The photographer reductions are one example of broader pressure on newsroom staffing. McClatchy has also made cuts, according to Poynter.
Poynter reported that union estimates put the number of journalists affected by McClatchy layoffs at more than 90, across at least 13 newspapers in eight states. The cuts included reporters, photographers and videographers. McClatchy said its restructuring responds to shifts in subscriber interests and audience behavior.
The Longer Decline Behind The Headlines
The ACBJ cuts also fit a longer-running contraction in American newsrooms. U.S. newsroom employment across five news-producing industries fell 26% between 2008 and 2020, dropping from about 114,000 workers to roughly 85,000, according to Pew Research Center. Newspaper newsroom jobs specifically fell 57% over that same period, even as employment at digital-native outlets rose 144%. Pew's analysis, which draws on Bureau of Labor Statistics data, counts photographers and videographers among the newsroom occupations it tracks alongside reporters and editors.
