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    Journalist resists police demands for rioter photos
    United Kingdom

    Journalist resists police demands for rioter photos

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    7 Comments

    1. BestButtons on

      They be requesting the unpublished photos, otherwise his denial doesn’t make any sense. I don’t remember seeing any censored photos published so that can’t be reason either.

    2. Chathin on

      And quite rightly; photojournalists work in dangerous spaces and to give them up easily could tar an awful lot of others in their profession as “informants” (especially when there is a particular photojournalist who *is* an informant and generally works right-wing events).

      If they want the unpublished photos the Police / Govt should do it via a court order, they’ve no choice then.

    3. RofiBie on

      If the Police force asked a major newspaper or media group for these pictures, they would be told to naff off.

      In this case, they are going after a freelancer as it is less likely that he’ll have a horde of corporate lawyers waiting in the wings to deal with it.

      Whilst I want those rioting scumbags punished, I also dislike the idea of the Police strong arming a journo for info that may put others in jeopardy in the future.

    4. Jammoth1993 on

      If journalists are seen to be liabilities then it risks their safety and integrity. I can see the value in the police possessing those images, but I can also see the damage it would do to journalism.

      Personally I don’t think they should be allowed to get hold of them, in a scenario where they have a suspect and want to find evidence then maybe there’s some wiggle room – but using journalists to identify crimes/suspects without any prior intel is a bit of an overreach in my opinion. We have countless documentaries about drug traffickers floating around on the internet – that kind of content wouldn’t exist if the journalists were obliged to dob their subjects in to the police.

    5. Pollaso2204 on

      Well I guess the anti-immigration riotiers will probably start using masks just like the palestine/HAMAS freedom fighters to hide their identity and not being arrested.

    6. Public_Growth_6002 on

      Slightly off-topic, but I was under the impression that we the public have been warned that even just being in the vicinity of a demonstration (maybe the wrong term?) and watching from the sidelines, could result in arrest.

      Where would this leave said journalist?

      (Or have I misunderstood? Wouldn’t be the first time)