HSD: Beginning of the end for ‘photographers’?

It is being reported around the Web that yesterday (Friday, 31st of May) the Chicago Sun newspaper (Chicago Sun-Times) sacked all the photographers in their photography department.

There is a long discussion going on about it on DPReview (here).

Depending what you read it seems that in the future the Chicago Sun is planning to use pictures taken by the journalists themselves or by the ‘public’ on their smartphones.

The view seems to be that:

• (a) The newspaper buying public no longer demand or expect good quality photographs in their newspaper.
• (b) Even the worst smartphone picture can usually be made presentable enough for publishing in a newspaper using modern photo editing tools in the hands of an expert.

Is this the beginning of the end of the professional photographer?

The world has become so used to the relatively crappy pictures taken by smartphones that people no longer require or expect quality pictures in their newspapers.

Will the glossy magazines be next?

This being the case I find it a tad sad; bordering even on depressing.

[Both images link to sources]