Sean Griffin

Sean Griffin began his working life with jobs in the shipyard and steel fabricating industries and combined that with an honours degree in English. In 1972, he became Assistant Editor, and later Editor, of the weekly newspaper Pacific Tribune. He was the paper’s first photojournalist, bringing news photography to the paper’s pages during one of the most vibrant periods of labour and social activism in British Columbia. Known as “B.C.’s only labour weekly,” the Tribune reached a wide audience and the addition of images from numerous social movements drew the attention of people throughout the province. In 1982, Griffin was joined on staff by Dan Keeton, who brought his own photographic skills, adding new interest to the paper’s weekly editions. Griffin later took up the position of Editor of (and photojournalist for) The Fisherman, published by the United Fishermen and Allied Workers’ Union (UFAWU). His photographs from that work are part of another archive now held by SFU Special Collections and Rare Books.