GOVERNMENT RELENTS ON PHOTOGRAPHY!

•  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.
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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.

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KILLING FIELDS PHOTOGRAPHER DIES

• Killing fields photographer dies – Dith Pran, whose work (and fate) as reporting partner to Sydney H. Schanberg was portrayed in the movie The Killing Fields, has died of cancer in hospital in New Jersey. He was 65. Dith Pran originally taught himself photography so that he could take pictures for Schanberg. After his escape from Cambodia in 1979 he worked as a staff photographer on The New York Times. [expand story >>>]

The Killing Fields movie includes a portrayal of Schanberg and other foreign journalists attempting to create a passport for Dith Pran, so that he can escape the country with them. A passport of Schanberg's is altered by removing all except his middle names, and the passport photo is removed. To replace it with one of Dith Pran, the journalists photograph him and develop and print the negative in an embassy bathroom. The paper is out of date. The chemicals are improvised. The first two attempts to print the photo fail to stop and fix it. The third print seems to be okay, but has faded completely by the time it is needed. [add comment]

TURKEY MORE POPULAR THAN NAOMI!

•  "Turkey More Popular than Naomi!" Claims Irish Press Photographer! – Kyran O'Brien, a press photographer well known around Dublin, has said there's been more international demand for the photographs he took of Ireland's latest Eurovision entry, stuffed-toy Dustin the Turkey, then for news photos of Britney Spears and Naomi Campbell he's taken in the past. (Ms. Campbell might knock the stuffing out of her new rival if she finds out?) [expand story >>>]

O'Brien is a staff photographer on Dublin's Evening Herald. Dustin the Turkey is the controversial TV puppet Ireland voted in to the next Eurovision song contest. O'Brien was one of the press photographers who took photos of Dustin when the puppet won the Eurovision selection in Ireland. [add comment]