Power, Control and Liberation: The Enduring Relationship between the Prestige Legacy Press, Social Documentary Photographers and Freelance Photojournalists

The thesis is a historical and contemporary analysis of the power relationship between the press, photojournalism and freelance photojournalists who document and expose social injustices, human rights abuses and the climate crisis. It analyses the evolution of the relationship from the emergence of social reform photography in US newspapers and magazines in the 1880s to the digital era’s global news ecosystem. The thesis illuminates the complexity and nuances of the relationship, its constraints and the possibilities for liberation the association affords.