When we decided to settle in Rhode Island in the mid-1970s, one of the standards of daily life was a subscription to The Providence Journal or ProJo. Although TV stations gave daily news, the length of news programs was short, especially compared to the nonstop news we now have on a variety of media. Every morning, we would step outside to pick up the paper and divide the sections for joint reading. On Sundays, it was richer with additional sections and content.
Table of Contents
Providence Journal For Local News
The paper was one of the better ones in the country and had won various awards. It was locally edited, laid out, and printed. I am not sure how, but I remember visiting the paper and was impressed with the massive presses that had the paper running like a river through its stages. One of the enjoyable elements was the locally produced imagery by the Journal photography department. It had a team of photojournalists specialized in covering different kinds of news, events, sports, humor, and the like, and sufficient support staff to make the department work smoothly.
The Internet Arrives
In the mid-1990s, a new concept entered our consciousness: The Internet! I started teaching a course on Marketing on the Internet around 1996, which was one of the first and very few in the country. Nobody knew how to use the Internet for anything yet. Some had access to e-mail and a few utilities like Telnet, Gopher, FTP, etc. These were mainly available to the members of the academic and research organizations.
Company and News Web Sites Emerge
Many companies got caught by the emerging technology and could only focus on having a home page without figuring out how to use the Internet. Websites then consisted of a few pages and many links to other places, sometimes pages of them. The Providence Journal also started experimenting with the notion and had a Web site built to deliver the news electronically, at least some of them.
Below are some sample pages from the Providence Journal sites over the years. I kept the screen captures at full-screen width on my laptop to emphasize the changes in the layout over the years. The main reason for the narrow content early on was the maximum display sizes. Around that time, most monitors were 640 x 480 pixels; some high-res ones pushed it to 800 x 600 pixels!
Click on the images to see them larger, uncropped, and read their titles.






By then, cable TV had arrived, and cable news became available to millions of users. CNN was started back in 1980, and it was an old hat when the Internet arrived. However, the Internet had the potential to create a paradigm shift in delivering the news as it would soon become a wildfire. Like most in Rhode Island, we still enjoyed our daily papers but did not realize that this era was the beginning of the decline of the local news and newspapers. In 1996, the ProJo website also presented their Web design and management team; here they are.






Invisible Photographers
The Journal had an extensive team of photojournalists, but they only got a small credit line below their photographs. Some received prestigious awards, but all produced compelling content of local interest. In an article, Eyewitness to History, published in 2016, they describe their philosophy: Great pictures don’t just happen. It takes great photographers. That article also names some photographers and shares their work and stories. Alas, the distinguished team of the ProJo photography department has been shrinking over the years. Given their behind-the-scene character, most Rhode Islanders have not noticed this shrinkage as the Journal substituted freelance photographers to replace their staff photographers. It is also worth noting that the Journal itself has changed substantively over the years and is now owned by Gannett.

Meet The Projo Photography Team
I heard from my friend Steve Szydlowski, a former ProJo photographer, that they had a reunion. What a wonderful feeling it must have been, I told him. I wished I could share their reunion and some photographs from that reunion to make those invisible photographers who brought us visual stories for decades visible.
After a few days, I got an e-mail from Steve sharing a link to an article about this gathering, the brainchild of Kris Craig, the last full-time Providence Journal photographer. The single-page write-up chronicles the event and shares a few photographs. The one I share as the opening photograph brings the photographers and other members of the photography department out from hiding behind the camera.
I want to express my thanks to all the photographers who brought us memorable moments with all their fun, fear, anxiety, sorrow, and even humor. We should not have waited this long to thank you all!
Haluk Atamal
What a nice article! I loved it. Also laughed a bit upon your mention of the 640×480 monitors. That was exactly the resolution of my first digital camera, a Canon if I remember correctly.
The only thing that doesn’t change is change itself. Maalesef we have to put up with the ever accelerating changes.
I especially liked the last paragraph which tells everything in a couple of lines.
Thanks for sharing this beautiful article, Cemal. Take care and best regards,
Haluk
A. Cemal Ekin
It was indeed overdue, Haluk. We see their work but rarely see their names, let alone know a little more about the photographers. I am glad I had a chance to write this article.
Take care,
Cemal
jackie
A history and reminiscence of a time that, sadly, is now all but gone. Down from 21 full-time photographers, “they now have 1 full-time photographer.” Not having a local, full-time newspaper is a loss to the community, the state, and the entire New England region in so many areas, local politics, economics, sociological issues, and also the art (and news) of photography.
A. Cemal Ekin
Thanks for stopping by, Jackie. Yes, reporting local news is all but gone. Yes, we hear this and that, but it is not like what it was in the days of The Providence Journal. It is a loss.
Take care,
Cemal
Paul White
Loss of local news is heartbreaking I wish that these large corporations would understand what local news means to local people. I met Steve several times and he was always helpful and a professional. He never looked down on us and was always willing to help. Great article. Looking forward to your next
A. Cemal Ekin
You are right, Paul. I bought the Journal a few times trying to like it again. But there was not much in it anyway, I even subscribed for a month. No dice! Good to recognize the invisible people behind their cameras. Stay tuned!
Cemal