• Government Relents on Photography! – The Government has moved on from the brush-off that Home Secretary, Jaqui Smith gave the NUJ over the union's concerns about police surveillance of photojournalists. She had appeared to wash her hands of the matter, but now Lord Bassam of Brighton has said the Home Office will meet the NUJ and will contact the Association of Chief Police Officers with a view to drawing up national guidelines on press photography in public, for journalists and police.
[expand story >>>]
Lord Bassam made the statement in the House of Lords when, as representative of the Government, he replied to a question about the matter put by Lord Richard Rosser. Lord Rosser asked him was he aware photography publications reported photographers, including the press, were being challenged, asked their names and addresses, and filmed by police for taking pictures in public, and that they considered this harassment.
In his reply, Lord Bassam mentioned that his own friends and family had been affected by incidents of that kind, and said he had a great deal of sympathy for the viewpoint expressed. He went on to enumerate the steps the Government would now take toward Home Office-backed guidelines with national applicability, to protect the rights of photographers.
Related Stories:
photoweek/2008/07/restricting-photography-is-not-legal
[add comment]
Labels: civil liberties, NUJ, photojournalism, press photography
2 Comments:
At school, they taught us that it was for Parliament to make laws, and for the Police to enforce them. I get worried when the Police take it upon themselves to make law!
About bloody time...
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home