Thursday, February 23, 2006

AP won't cover LPGA after credential dispute. AP reporter Jaymes Song was not allowed on the course during Wednesday's practice rounds or in the media room to cover Michelle Wie's pretournament news conference after refusing to sign the credential form with the new restrictions. Freelance photographer Ronen Zilberman also refused to sign the form and was denied a credential. [...] The LPGA said the restrictions were in line with other pro sports organizations and would not limit news-gathering access, but were "designed to maintain and protect the LPGA's existing rights regarding images used for commercial purposes unrelated to news coverage." [...] "While the LPGA's revised terms don't limit access, they severely limit our use of our own photos," Tomlin said. "If we ever wanted to use an AP photo from an LPGA event for anything but illustration of a news story about that particular event, we'd have to ask for permission. I'm not aware of any other league that has demanded such a condition for obtaining credentials. And LPGA's demand for unlimited free use of our LPGA photos and stories is just as unprecedented and just as unacceptable. We want to cover LPGA events but not at this cost." [USA Today] The LPGA is being disingenuous about their restrictions--the bit about commercial usage is aimed at people who don't know anything about the legalities involved in the photographic business. In point of fact, images may never be used for commercial purposes without a signed model release. For example, if a photographer shot a golfer at this event the image could not be sold to the company that made his or her clubs for use in advertisements without the explicit permission of the golfer. The only way the LPGA's restrictions on commercial useage would ever be relevant is if the golfer was willing to sign a release--and people famous enough for companies to want to use them in advertising hardly ever are. The AP lawyer is right, this is really about the LPGA trying to extort photographers. Concert photographers also have to deal with obnoxious restrictions and rights grabs, both from venues and from acts big enough to have "people." Personally I refuse to be restricted--if a venue asks me to sign something I just walk away and never return. But then, I'm not trying to make money at it. It takes considerable courage for someone who's trying to earn a living as a photographer to stand up to them, and I'm happy to see two who did. 8:31:08 PM    comment () trackback () Neocon to Neolib. I read Francis Fukuyama's renunciation of neoconservatism with amusement, as I realized that he did not so much object to its goals (American empire, global "democrayc") nor even its means (warfare, propaganda) but to its manner - i.e. unilateral, callous, arrogant. Jim Lobe's excellent piece, highlighting the key points in Fukuyama's apostasy, confirmed my initial assessment: Fukuyama abandoned neocons, only to join the "neolibs." Instead of denouncing the whole... [Antiwar.com Blog] It's lipstick on a pig; perhaps, had G.W. Bush never happened, the world could still blithely accept Clintonian justifications for imperial aggression, but now that they've had the taste of the iron fist sans the velvet glove, will they ever be so gullible about Washington again? Almost certainly they will. Fukuyama's objections are the same as the vast majority of "antiwar" protestors who are actually perfectly happy with wars as long as their particular socialist faction is starting them. 7:19:49 PM    comment () trackback () Recently I've been seeing commercials for the upcoming movie V for Vendetta. It looks very promising--one of the lines is: People should not fear their governments, governments should fear their people. 6:48:44 PM    comment () trackback ()

© Copyright 2006 Ken Hagler. Last update: 3/1/2006; 10:35:31 AM.