Deadline

Maker Steacy, Will American, b. 1980

Date2016

Dimensionsoverall: 9 1/2 in x 12 in x 5/8 in

Credit LineSpecial Books Collection

Object numberB2017:11

About the ArtistSince 2000, the newspaper industry has declined by thirty percent, making it the fastest shrinking industry in the United States. Faced with dwindling advertising revenue, falling circulation, lay-offs, buy-outs, and bankruptcy, the Philadelphia Inquirer has struggled to survive. Artist Will Steacy spent five years photographing their newsroom and printing plant, providing a window into the crisis in the form of an 80-page newspaper Deadline. Featuring 677 photographs, archival images, letters, and news clips, along with 70 original essays by current and former Inquirer staff, Steacy’s work explores the erosion of middle class jobs and skills with the rise of the information technology economy. Deadline exposes the challenges of journalism in our current environment as we lose reporters, editors, and newsbeats, and therefore coverage, connection, and information despite our increased technological capacities. As Steacy’s work reveals, the newspaper is more than a business—it is a civic trust, one whose very existence is now imperiled.

Essay Contributors:
Roger Allaway, Ann Applegate, Mike Armstrong, Tony Auth, Sandy Bauers, Art Carey, John Carroll, George Carter, Andrew Cassel, David Cohen, Porus P. Cooper, Marguerite Del Giudice, Clark DeLeon, Melissa Dribben, Murray Dubin, Jane Eisner, Larry Eichel, Bob Fernandez, Tom Ferrick, Kevin Ferris, Gene Foreman, Robert Frump, Joseph Gambardello, Jeff Gammage, Joyce Gemperlein, Thomas Ginsberg, Josh Gohlke, Kristen Graham, Mel Greenberg, Cynthia Greer, Kia Gregory, Alan J. Heavens, Karen Heller, Chris Hepp, Miriam Hill, Deirdre Childress Hopkins, David Cay Johnston, Don Kimelman, Monica Yant Kinney, Andrea Knox, Mike Leary, Daniel LeDuc, Jennifer Lin, Sandra Long, Alfred Lubrano, Bill Marsh, Dale Mezzacappa, Alexis Moore, Arlene Notoro Morgan, Jonathan Neumann, Rick Nichols, Mike Placentra, Dick Polman, Natalie Pompilo, Carrie Rickey, Avery Rome, Daniel Rubin, Stephan Salisbury, Don Sapatkin, Stephen Seplow, Tom Steacy, Allison Steele, James Steele, John Sullivan, Sue Syrnick, Miriam Tarver, Mike Vitez, Jane Von Bergen, Butch Ward, Amy Worden