Don McCullin1975Don McCullin's National Union of Journalists accreditation
Colour image
Imperial War MuseumPhotograph © Imperial War Museum
During the late 1970s, changes occurred which would have a dramatic effect on Don McCullin's career as a photojournalist. The popular mood swung against the sort of journalism which had made the
Sunday Times so successful in the 1960s. British newspapers, under pressure from television news coverage and a worsening economic climate, struggled with falling circulation. The powerful Fleet Street trade unions thwarted attempts to modernise newspaper production. At
The Times and
Sunday Times Don McCullin's work appeared less frequently.
McCullin, already struggling with war fatigue, injury and a disintegrating personal life, became increasingly frustrated and outspoken in his disagreements with editorial decisions. In 1983, he was sacked after publicly criticising editorial policy in a magazine interview.
This image was included in the exhibition "Shaped by War: Photographs by Don McCullin" at the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, UK (6 February to 13 June 2010)
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