Pro. paper photog's 'need' V PTSD concerns for others.
Posted on: Thu, 06/26/2008 - 13:13
Pro. paper photog's 'need' V PTSD concerns for others.
As a photog I found myself in an interesting situation, having dealt with PTSD cases caused by a tramatic incident, and also by photo's of such an incident, acting as witness to a head teacher trying to get accross to a newspaper photog that he couldn't take shots inside a school site without express permission because of those issues, and all the photog could do is claim 'censorship', even pointing out that it is in law 'private property' during the school day with extra protections...Anyone else ever had a similar experience?
Yes almost exactly the phrase he used: "this is my police issued press card".
I know quite a few pro's, and a number are getting fed up with their fellow pro's who misuse/misrepresent the card in that way, not good for the 'gatekeeper' bodies, if it keeps getting worse how long before the Police try to take it back???
The point I was making was the 'press-photog' wouldn't accept no for an answer, his claiming 'censorship' was an attempt to try and force the head to relent on his 'no'. The head took a call on his mobile from the papers editor part way through the encounter which put the photog on the spot as there had been an agreement between the head and editor that IF access was granted to the site, he would call the paper to send a photographer.
I don't really understand your point : that a head-teacher refused access to a newspaper photographer, who was unhappy about it? In what context? What was the photographer's interest?
I've worked in schools and for schools a fair bit. There are issues around privacy, child protection and parental permissions, of course, but they can usually be solved. It's not usually a problem. Need to know more here...
Photorights admin
@anonymous : Well, that's a point of view that lacks only accuracy and facts.
1. The National Press card is not issued by the police but by gatekeeper organisations http://www.presscard.uk.com/ who have in the past had a hard time keeping the scheme out of police hands. There is a lot of pressure from police to restrict the numbers of people entitled to carry the card.
2. Press seldom get any special or favoured access, and have no greater rights of access than any other citizen in law. Anyone who's done this sort of work has encountered instances where removing press photographers seems to be the operational priority of police. In public order situations, police frequently act with hostility, there are plenty of instances of press photographers being assaulted, injured or unlawfully detained. That is why the Met Police guidelines were drawn up between the NUJ and police. http://www.londonfreelance.org/photo/guidelines.html Unfortunately they do not seem to be enacted by officers on the ground, rather often.
3. Press photographers seem to be experiencing very frequent s.44 stop and search, especially those who work in Westminster. It's 'big camera' syndrome, tourists and cameraphone users seem to be exempt.
4. This site doesn't exist to promote or defend intrusive or irresponsible behaviour by any photographer but to resist the trend toward unreasonable restriction of photography. It doesn't seem useful nor constructive to head off into partisan arguments about the relative misbehaviour of some pro's or some amateurs being to blame. Ultimately we are all exercising a legal right and freedom to make photographs, and that needs to be preserved else we all lose a valuable and necessary freedom. If you want to talk about specific instances, let's hear specifics, not just opinion.
Photorights admin
I bet he was showing his 'police issued so I'm allowed' Press card too. Press photographers are almost as bad a pap's for pushing the limits now.
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