Walking The Legal Line

jphoto33: Look at the ethical aspect of journalism

Thu, 10 May 2012 10:32:51 -0400

Look at the ethical aspect of journalism

jphoto33: A look into the world of photo manipulation and the...

Thu, 10 May 2012 10:32:42 -0400

A look into the world of photo manipulation and the idea that images that have been manipulated should be labeled so as to not mislead viewers. This is a problem that has been discussed many times before, and even though in this case it is not directly related to photojournalism there are still questions to be asked. Is photo manipulation ok outside of photojournalistic work?

Photo

Thu, 10 May 2012 02:08:59 -0400

Photo

Thu, 10 May 2012 02:04:08 -0400

Visitors of honor those lost at the 2011 Flight 93 Memorial in...

Thu, 10 May 2012 02:01:00 -0400

Visitors of honor those lost at the 2011 Flight 93 Memorial in Pennsylvania.

Chrissy: Handbook for Research in Media Law

Thu, 10 May 2012 01:48:10 -0400

Chrissy: Handbook for Research in Media Law:

jodiecwf:

Handbook for Research in Media Law
Confronted with their first class in media law, many juniors, seniors, and even beginning graduate students may be at a loss. With little or no experience working with legal materials such as the statutes, cases, and regulations, the language and organizing…

It’s always said not knowing the law is no excuse to break it. Journalist must keep themselves aware of the laws in place. Seems like a useful resources for journalist to keep abreast with media laws. While the focus of this text is learning to research, but it touches on topics such as libel and invasion of privacy.

by Brent Stirton A powerful collection of photos that needed...

Wed, 09 May 2012 04:49:00 -0400

by Brent Stirton

A powerful collection of photos that needed to be shared.

thelittletornado: One day, this will be true.Until then… *cue...

Wed, 09 May 2012 04:47:25 -0400

thelittletornado:

One day, this will be true.

Until then… *cue evil laughter*

kaliem: Hospital staff cover the body of a man who was killed...

Wed, 09 May 2012 04:46:00 -0400

kaliem:

Hospital staff cover the body of a man who was killed by a bomb attack, at a hospital morgue in Quetta May 1, 2012. At least five people have been killed and 10 injured in a bomb explosion in Quetta in the southwestern Baluchistan province, police officials said, local media reported. REUTERS/Naseer Ahmed

Photo

Wed, 09 May 2012 04:46:00 -0400

Photo

Tue, 08 May 2012 03:35:00 -0400

Photo Ethics in the age of Adobe Photoshop CS5

Tue, 08 May 2012 03:08:36 -0400

Photo Ethics in the age of Adobe Photoshop CS5:

jphoto33:

onaemory:

“For photojournalism the implications of this tool are pretty chilling. Not because digital manipulation of photographs is anything new, but because CS5 makes it just so darn easy.”

In today’s society it is difficult to say what is always the truth and what is being manipulated due to the advancement of technology. The level of manipulation possible in photos can almost be frightening, which is why journalist and photojournalist have strict policies in regards to the manipulation or editing of photos. Journalist report the truth, and the images that follow said story can hold a powerful effect on readers, which is why it is important they are seeing the truth, and not false image created to increase readership or attention.

atlanticinfocus: From May Day Around the World, one of 40...

Tue, 08 May 2012 03:08:00 -0400

atlanticinfocus:

From May Day Around the World, one of 40 photos. A police lieutenant swings his baton at an Occupy Wall Street activist on May 1, 2012 in New York. Hundreds of activists with a variety of causes spread out over New York City Tuesday on International Workers Day, or May Day, with Occupy Wall Street members leading a charge against financial institutions. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Crystal Cox, Oregon Blogger, Sued for $2.5 million

Tue, 08 May 2012 02:58:25 -0400

Crystal Cox, Oregon Blogger, Sued for $2.5 million

Legal Definition of Journalist?

Tue, 08 May 2012 02:56:49 -0400

What is a journalist? According to Webster dictionary a journalist as ” a person who is engaged in journalism; especially a writer or editor of a news medium.” While this definition is fine and probably the most common, the law has chosen a more specific definition to classify an individual as a journalist. In accordance to shield laws (laws protecting journalists from forced disclosure of confidential sources of information.) the Senate and House voted on what defines a journalist. The Senate Judiciary Committee defines a journalist as:

“(iii) obtains the information sought while working as a salaried employee of, or independent contractor for, an entity—
(I) that disseminates information by print, broadcast, cable, satellite, mechanical, photographic, electronic, or other means; and
(II) that—
(aa) publishes a newspaper, book, magazine, or other periodical;
(bb) operates a radio or television broadcast station, network, cable system, or satellite carrier, or a channel or programming service for any such station, network, system, or carrier;
(cc) operates a programming service; or

(dd) operates a news agency or wire service;”

While this definition is more specific than webster definition of a journalist it still remains quite vague and filled with grey areas. Because of the vagueness of this definition several individuals, who by committee definition, should be protected are still met threats and lawsuits. Bloggers across remain unprotected by shield laws as seen with blogger Crystal Cox. Shield laws need to be clearly defined to protect bloggers who have now become recognized sources of information in our digital age.

fotojournalismus: Kosovo, 1998. [Credit : Alexandra Boulat]

Mon, 07 May 2012 05:38:00 -0400

fotojournalismus:

Kosovo, 1998.

[Credit : Alexandra Boulat]

Blogger Fined $2.5 Million for not Being a Journalist

Mon, 07 May 2012 05:35:55 -0400

Blogger Fined $2.5 Million for not Being a Journalist:

futurejournalismproject:

Over 40 states have shield laws that protect journalists from revealing information about the sources used during their reporting.

This is all well and good until you get into the tricky business of actually defining who a journalist is. Someone reporting for CNN? No brainer. Except for jaded, we all agree he or she is a journalist.

But what about someone reporting for a new startup with a part time staff of three? Or the lone blogger who digs deep into one particular subject?

In Oregon, a judge has decided that shield laws only apply to those who are officially part of an established media organization (again, defining what that might mean leaves us scratching our heads).

Via the Seattle Weekly:

A U.S. District Court judge in Portland has drawn a line in the sand between “journalist” and “blogger.” And for Crystal Cox, a woman on the latter end of that comparison, the distinction has cost her $2.5 million…

…Cox runs several law-centric blogs, like industrywhistleblower.com, judicialhellhole.com, and obsidianfinancesucks.com, and was sued by investment firm Obsidian Finance Group in January for defamation, to the tune of $10 million, for writing several blog posts that were highly critical of the firm and its co-founder Kevin Padrick.

Representing herself in court, Cox had argued that her writing was a mixture of facts, commentary and opinion (like a million other blogs on the web) and moved to have the case dismissed. Dismissed it wasn’t, however, and after throwing out all but one of the blog posts cited by Obsidian Financial, the judge ruled that this single post was indeed defamatory because it was presented, essentially, as more factual in tone than her other posts, and therefore a reasonable person could conclude it was factual.

The judge ruled against Cox on that post and awarded $2.5 million to the investment firm.

Now here’s where the case gets more important: Cox argued in court that the reason her post was more factual was because she had an inside source that was leaking her information. And since Oregon is one of 40 U.S. states including Washington with media shield laws, Cox refused to divulge who her source was.

But without revealing her source Cox couldn’t prove that the statements she’d made in her post were true and therefore not defamation, or attribute them to her source and transfer the liability…

…The judge in Cox’s case, however, ruled that the woman did not qualify for shield-law protection not because of anything she wrote, but because she wasn’t employed by an official media establishment.

From the opinion by U.S. District Judge Marco A. Hernandez:

… although defendant is a self-proclaimed “investigative blogger” and defines herself as “media,” the record fails to show that she is affiliated with any newspaper, magazine, periodical, book, pamphlet, news service, wire service, news or feature syndicate, broadcast station or network, or cable television system. Thus, she is not entitled to the protections of the law.

What defines a journalist? Are tabloid reporters still considered journalist or are they magazine writers. There are no requirements one must fulfill to be a journalist except being able write an article. Journalist come from various backgrounds with some attending school for it and others doing it simply as a side job for extra cash. In this day an age journalist are not limited to only newspapers, but are expected to write for the digital realm in the form of online articles and even some blogs. There are several shield laws in place to protect journalist, but it is time we extend these laws so they clearly cover bloggers also.

UK Media Law Research and blogger Judith Townend shares her...

Fri, 04 May 2012 03:36:57 -0400

UK Media Law Research and blogger Judith Townend shares her knowledge and advice on the legal issues surrounding citizen journalism and publishing your work online on blogs, twitter or other forms of social media.

It's More Than Just a Photo

Fri, 04 May 2012 03:30:00 -0400

It’s always been said that a picture is worth a thousand words and photojournalist prove this saying day in and day out as the share stories from across the world through the eyes of their lenses. A journalist tells a story using words primarily, however photojournalist use their photos to converse with their audience. Using images of people, places, and things photojournalist tell a story which can only be seen from behind a lens.

artdanslavie: Sometimes, however, what starts with a cool...

Fri, 04 May 2012 03:22:25 -0400

artdanslavie:

Sometimes, however, what starts with a cool cellphone picture sent from a friend becomes an amazing, thought-provoking piece of photojournalism that probes the relationships between humans at the wild, humans and animals, and humans and each other. And I’m rarely stopped dead in my tracks when a photo crosses my field of view – but I was with these photos, with this body of work.

Pieter Hugo’s The Hyena and Other Men is a series of incredible photos, taken over two trips in as many years at the edges of a shantytown in Nigeria. Hugo worked with Nigerian reported Adetokunbo Abiola to not only find the men to photograph, but to get to know them and earn their trust.

The arresting images–which show men (and, occasionally, children) with hyenas, monkeys, and other wild animals which have been tamed for entertainment purposes–are an exploration of one tiny population’s life…a life that’s pretty different from yours or mine. Horrible or wonderful? That’s for you to decide. Scroll through some of the image tabs above this photo… Completely remarkable.

Here’s an excerpt from Hugo’s explanation of the project:

Seldom did anyone express strong concern for the well-being of the creatures. Europeans invariably only ask about the welfare of the animals but this question misses the point. Instead, perhaps, we could ask why these performers need to catch wild animals to make a living. Or why they are economically marginalised. Or why Nigeria, the world’s sixth largest exporter of oil, is in such a state of disarray.

Head over to Hugo’s site to see the rest and read his description of the artistic process. It’s a good read.

Hat-tip to my buddy Jon Coe for bringing this evocative project to my attention.

- Chase Jarvis