What’s the connection between photography and terrorism? Apparently, it depends on where you sit and when you ask the question. Just after the bombing at the Boston Marathon, investigators urged anyone who’d been near the finish line to share photos or video they’d taken around the time of the explosions. But the very same day, [...]
Finally, some good news. Two pending cases against police departments for civil rights violations have been settled in favor of the photographers. What’s not clear is what impact the settlements will have on the continuing problem of professional photojournalists being arrested for doing their jobs. In the first case, Las Vegas police have agreed to [...]
Covering fires is a routine part of a television news photographer’s job. Clint Fillinger has been doing it for more than 40 years in Milwaukee, so he knows the drill: Stay behind the yellow police tape and roll on everything. But this fall, while doing exactly that, Fillinger went from shooting the news to making it [...]
How far will you go to protect the identity of sources who give you information on the condition that you not reveal their names? If you haven’t thought about it, you should. Every reporter eventually runs into a story so important that it’s worth getting the information on a confidential basis. But you’d better understand [...]
A motorcyclist pulled over for speeding in Maryland uses his helmet camera to videotape an officer threatening him with a gun. State police later confiscate his cameras, computers and hard drives and charge him with a felony. A bystander records an arrest in Massachusetts with his cellphone and is promptly arrested himself. These two incidents three years [...]
When an earthquake hits, as happened on the East Coast this week, or when a major storm comes ashore as appears likely with Hurricane Irene this weekend, YouTube can be an invaluable source of video. Since just about everyone these days has a camera on hand at all times, YouTube and other video sharing services [...]
You’ve written a story for the Web or a post for a blog and you need to add an image or a related video. If you didn’t take a photo or shoot footage yourself, what are your options? The Internet is a treasure trove of multimedia but it’s important to make sure that what you [...]
When and where is it OK to shoot video without getting permission? Can generic file video get you in legal trouble? These kinds of questions come up in newsrooms all the time and often lead to heated debates. Next time, check the Photographers’ Guide to Privacy produced by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. [...]
Being shunted off to weekends has never been a coveted career move for a main anchor at a local television station. For Charles Perez, it was the last straw. When Miami’s ABC affiliate changed his schedule this summer, he claimed discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. When WPLG fired him, calling his accusation outrageous, [...]
Journalists entering or leaving the United States are subject to the same rules as anyone else. Their electronic devices may be searched and the contents copied by the U.S. government even if they’re not suspected of wrongdoing. The policy has been in effect for more than a year but now the ACLU is challenging it [...]
Read this before it’s too late. Tom Curley of the Associated Press and Rupert Murdoch of NewsCorp are putting those of us in the blogosphere on notice: Re-publish our content and we will make you pay. According to an AP story, the two men made their comments addressing the World Media Summit in Beijing. “The [...]
It’s been a long slog, but reporters are now closer to getting some legal protection in cases involving confidential sources. A compromise bill in Congress would keep journalists from being jailed or fined for refusing to name a source in most circumstances if a federal judge determines the public interest in the news is paramount. [...]
by Bert P. Krages II, Attorney at Law About this Guide Confrontations that impair the constitutional right to make images are becoming more common. To fight the abuse of your right to free expression, you need to know your rights to take photographs and the remedies available if your rights are infringed. The General Rule [...]
“When the media goes to trial, you’re more likely to lose than to win.” That caution from attorney John Ronayne III should get everyone’s attention in newsrooms around the country. Ronayne warned that landing in court can be hideously expensive. “The average cost just to get a libel case ready to try was $100,000 ten years ago. That can put a huge dent in any newsroom’s budget.”