Photo Bill of Rights

At Jamtron we’ve signed on to participate and uphold the Photo Bill of Rights. The Photo Bill of Rights brings attention to the pervasive issues surrounding health, safety, access, bias, ethics, and finance throughout the visual journalism and editorial media industry, offering solutions to establish equitable standards through actionable steps.

“The COVID-19 pandemic highlights and exacerbates inequities toward workers, especially those who are marginalized (including Black, Indigenous, people of color [BIPOC]; the working class; women; people with disabilities; and nonbinary, transgender, and queer people). This pandemic also presents an opportunity to rectify these inequities. It has laid bare systemic oppression, heightened community tensions, and as a result, ushered in a global civil rights revolution. This revolution emphasizes dismantling the systems that historically uphold and maintain white supremacy, echoing our call for immediate and sweeping transformation that honors the current moment. This uprising is our collective call to immediate action. The Photo Bill of Rights is a fundamental step in changing our industry and gaining rights and access for all.”

The bill covers the following categories:

Health & Safety

Finance & Grievance

Abuse & Sexual Misconduct

Parity, Inclusion & Bias

In addition, there is an incredibly helpful toolkit that breaks down each category with examples, and strategies to implement these policies.

“This Bill of Rights is a first step toward working as a collaborative and conscientious industry. Change is possible if we are willing to identify and address consistent problems at the individual and institutional level. 
Visual storytelling at its best upholds integrity, respect, transparency, and accountability. Now is the time to work together to build a sustainable industry that is accessible, equitable, and inclusive for all; anything less impedes our ability to be a genuine mirror to the world.”

Visual storytelling at its best upholds integrity, respect, transparency, and accountability. The Photo Bill of Rights is a call to action, a guide, and an ethical code. The Photo Bill of Rights gives an opportunity to recognize the problems within our industry and act to solve them.