Category: Access & Censorship
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Man faces jail for videotaping gun-waving cop – Boing Boing
Man faces jail for videotaping gun-waving cop
Police officer Joseph Uhler was caught on film charging out of his unmarked car and waving his gun at a unarmed motorcyclist pulled over for speeding. When the footage was uploaded to YouTube, auth…
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WikiLeaks Posts Mysterious ‘Insurance’ File | Threat Level
WikiLeaks Posts Mysterious ‘Insurance’ File
In the wake of strong U.S. government statements condemning WikiLeaks’ recent publishing of 77,000 Afghan War documents, the secret-spilling site has posted a mysterious encrypted file labeled “insurance.” The huge file, posted on the Afghan War page at t
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The Picture Police | Chicago Reader
The Picture Police
Do festivals like Pitchfork and Lollapalooza have the right to restrict photography in a public park?
via Chicago Reader: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/pitchfork-lollapalooza-photography-public-property-laws/Content?oid=2165520
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‘Step Away From the Camera!’ – Lens
‘Step Away From the Camera!’
Don’t study this picture too closely or you may come under suspicion, too.
via Lens Blog: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/behind-47/
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Freedom of photography: Police, security often clamp down despite public right
Courts have long ruled that the First Amendment protects the right of citizens to take photographs in public places. Even after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, law enforcement agencies have reiterated that right in official policies.
But in practice, those rules don’t always filter down to police officers and security guards who continue to restrict photographers, often citing authority they don’t have. Almost nine years after the terrorist attacks, which ratcheted up security at government properties and transportation hubs, anyone photographing federal buildings, bridges, trains or airports runs the risk of being seen as a potential terrorist.
Link: Freedom of photography: Police, security often clamp down despite public right
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Photography and Homeland Security – Popular Mechanics
Taking Photos in Public Places Is Not a Crime: Analysis
Too many officials think taking photos is a crime. Heres why theyre wrong.
via Popular Mechanics: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/how-to/computer-security/taking-photos-in-public-places-is-not-a-crime?click=main_sr
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News Media Seek Loosening of Guantánamo Rules – NYTimes.com
Media Seek Looser Guantánamo Rules
A dispute between news organizations and the Pentagon flared after the May expulsion of four reporters.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/21/us/21gitmo.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
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Speak No Evil: A Post-McChrystal Press Clampdown – At War
So I started to chat up soldiers. Just as I had finished the formalities of name, age, rank and hometown with a young private from Michigan, I was interrupted by an officer who explained that a handful of soldiers had been chosen to speak to the press, and that the remainder of the group was off limits.
Link: Speak No Evil: A Post-McChrystal Press Clampdown – At War Blog – NYTimes.com
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Silvio Berlusconi's 'gag law' sparks media strike in Italy | The Guardian
Silvio Berlusconi’s ‘gag law’ sparks media strike in Italy
Embattled prime minister hopes to pass privacy bill but editors and judges say he wants to hide from scandal
via the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/09/silvio-berlusconi-media-gag-law
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Iran imposes media blackout over stoning sentence woman | The Guardian
Iran imposes media blackout over stoning sentence woman
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani will not be stoned, the regime has said, but family fear she will be hanged instead
via the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/09/iran-blackout-over-stoning-sentence-woman
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Home Office hands victory to photographers, restricts use of Section 44 – British Journal of Photography
In a speech to the House of Commons, the Home Secretary Theresa May has put an end to one of Britain’s most controversial piece of legislation, which has been increasingly used by police officers to restrict photographers working in public places
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LA Pays $1.7m to Fox Camera Operator – Discarted
LA Pays $1.7m to Fox Camera Operator
Fox TV camera operator Patricia Ballaz has been awarded $1.7 million in damages stemming from the May Day 2007 Immigration Rights rally in Los Angeles where she was beaten by the LAPD. In her testi…
Link: http://discarted.wordpress.com/2010/07/05/la-pays-1-7m-to-fox-camera-operator/
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Thoughts of a Bohemian » Photo burqa
Photojournalists, more and more, are forced to break the law in order to get the right images. Not only their standard of living has plummeted, making it harder to be motivated, but they are now faced with either jail time or extremely steep fines. There is a war being waged against photojournalism at a time it is already at its weakest. If the forces of photo censorship succeed, our world will become we can forget about democracy. We might not understand it fully, but these are our eyes that they are trying to cover. It is a our ability to make a sound judgment that is threatened forever.