And now to a theme that keeps recurring on this program: the difficulty of making a living out of journalism in the modern age.

Last month, Tennis Australia offered an exciting opportunity for sports photographers with this ad on Seek.com.au .

Photographers: December Showdown — seek.com.au, 6th September, 2013

Tennis Australia was looking for snappers to cover its December Showdown when some 2000 tennis players ** will face off in Melbourne for a coveted spot in the Australian Open.

**Correction: This should say that hundreds of players will compete in more than 2000 matches.

Applicants were warned they would need:

Previous experience and study in photography and ... a strong knowledge of tennis... — seek.com.au, 6th September, 2013

They were also told they would have to have strong administration skills, exceptional attention to detail and flexibility with work hours.

To cap it all they were advised:

A key requirement of this role is that you own your own camera and equipment and have a portfolio of work, especially action shots that can be submitted with your application. — seek.com.au, 6th September, 2013

All in all it was a lot of work. And not a job for amateurs.

But believe it or not, Tennis Australia was seeking volunteers.

As in: the photographers would not be paid; they would work for nothing.

All they would get is valuable experience!

Now, Tennis Australia pulls in more than $200 million a year in revenue and makes a profit. It has just raised the prize money for the Australian Open to $33 million, and it was trying to hire a junior PR Person for the same December showdown at $40,000 a year.

So it's hardly surprising there was a storm of complaint on social media, where a special Facebook page was set up for the fight.

Tennis Australia, Pay Your Photographers [John McEnroe]: Tennis Australia you cannot be serious! — Facebook, Tennis Australia, Pay Your Photographers

The journalists' union, the MEAA, also weighed in with a strongly-worded letter demanding the photographers be paid, whereupon Tennis Australia withdrew the ads.

But it seems it's sticking with its plans .

And only last week Lachlan Murdoch's DMG Radio Australia was making a similar pitch for photographers and reviewers to work for nothing for its music websites SmoothFM and NovaFM in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney...

This is an unpaid volunteer position, NOT an internship - you will not be required in the offices. — Pedestrian TV, DMG Ad, 8th October, 2013

At least you get to go to the gigs for free .

But even Australia's best-known photographers like the brilliant and award-winning Mick Tsikas now find themselves refusing offers like this on a regular basis

I get a constant stream of requests for free pictures, particularly from overseas magazines. I never supply them anything. As soon as you ask what the budget for pictures is, they tell you they don't have one. Their argument is that they're giving you exposure, but exposure doesn't pay my bills or feed the kids. — Mick Tsikas, Photographer, Statement to Media Watch, 10th October, 2013

These offers of free exposure are now so common in the industry there are videos on YouTube to protest at it all.

Here's one by the celebrated Italian photographer, whose work has appeared in Vanity Fair, Enzo dal Verme

BEAR 1: I love your pictures. BEAR 2: Great. I'm glad you love them. BEAR 1: I have some work for you. BEAR 2: Lovely. BEAR 1: We need to shoot a really great, great picture; will look terrific in your portfolio. BEAR 2: Wow. BEAR 1: The budget is limited. BEAR 2: I see. BEAR 1: There is no budget for the photographer. BEAR 2: I see. BEAR 1: But it's a great way to start working with us ... [EDIT] BEAR 1: And you will get fabulous exposure. BEAR 2: Wow. BEAR 1: The best exposure ever. BEAR 2: Will I be able to buy a camera with the exposure you are offering me? BEAR 1: A-ah. BEAR 2: Will I be able to buy new lenses with the exposure you are offering me? BEAR 1: Ah. BEAR 2: Will I be able to pay my rent with the exposure you are offering me? BEAR 1: A-ah. BEAR 2: My insurance? My computers? My softwares? BEAR 1: You will get great, great exposure. — YouTube, Exposure doesn't pay bills, 29th March, 2012

So why is this happening?

Essentially for the same reason the porn industry in Hollywood is under pressure.

There are too many people on the internet doing it for free.

There are now at least 1 billion pictures on Instagram.

And we're uploading 300 million snaps to Facebook every day.

And while uploaders may own the copyright to their snaps, news organisations rarely bother paying to use them.

Another award-winning Australian photographer, Dean Sewell, who is famous for images like this ... says:

It's a sign of the times. The industry is dwindling. People are willing to work for nothing and photography is being devalued. On any given day you'll have News the Herald and radio stations too asking for images from the public. It undermines the work of professional photographers. — Dean Sewell, Photographer, Statement to Media Watch, 10th October, 2013

Dean Sewell still works part-time for the Sydney Morning Herald but is finding it harder and harder to get freelance jobs.

And former Reuters snapper Mick Tsikas who used to post his images on Instagram until he became concerned they could be ripped off, tells a similar tale of woe

The work has been dropping off steadily over the years. I've got a Walkley and I can only get one or two days work. — Mick Tsikas, Photographer, Statement to Media Watch, 10th October, 2013

Sadly, it is not about to change.

In Australia, News Corp and Fairfax have got rid of around 50 staff photographers in the last couple of years, while in Chicago this year the Sun Times sacked all 28 photographers who worked for the paper.

As one local journalist commented on the Sun Times Facebook page:

[Katherine Foran]: Abandoning quality photojournalism - compelling, thoughtful, skilled visual storytelling - diminishes the caliber of the product overall and irretrievably. So sad. — Facebook, 1st June, 2013

The Chicago Sun Times is now getting reporters to shoot pictures and video on their smartphones.

And no doubt that's what we'll all soon be doing.

As always you can find more on all these stories on our website. But for now that's all from us.

Until next week, Goodbye.