Cops arrest journalists as minister’s office sacked
Police arrested two journalists from La Presse Friday morning during an attack on the riding office of education minister Line Beauchamp. Radio-Canada says police are not saying definitively that the attack was carried out by tuition demonstrators. Patrick Lagacé says the motivation for the arrest of journalists raises serious questions, especially as their photographer had his equipment seized.
Raoul 10:31 on 2012/04/13 Permalink
I rigged my phone to automatically upload all pics to a private folder online. Came in pretty handy when i had a run-in with cadets. In future, all cameras will make online copies. Technology always finds a way.
Raoul 11:28 on 2012/04/13 Permalink
Its also worth mentioning the photographer was nowhere near the students as he was in the adjacent parking lot.
ant6n 11:29 on 2012/04/13 Permalink
On the other hand, you can’t fix the infringement of a principle with a tech work-around.
Raoul 11:32 on 2012/04/13 Permalink
infringement of what principles? If i buy a camera it’s mine, as are it’s contents. I know cops like to seize equipment and delete pics that might help your case. Everyone’s within their rights to both A) take pictures sur la place publique, and B) to keep, upload or distribute said pictures.
ant6n 11:37 on 2012/04/13 Permalink
You’re saying “Technology always finds a way”, to relativize that a journalist had his equipment seized. Freedom of press is the principle, and you can’t offset it with technology if it is infringed.
Raoul 11:41 on 2012/04/13 Permalink
I appreciate that, but my premise is that we cant automatically assume cops will do the right thing. Once that’s a given, you look for safeguards. Its even worse when the cops are shown to have destroyed evidence, but if you just assume that your rights will be respected, chances are you’ll find yourself without equipment or proof.
Antonio 06:32 on 2012/04/14 Permalink
I wasn’t present at the scene and I place little faith in the integrity or rigour of many journalists, especially the journalist cited in Kate’s post who is clearly partial to the student “strike” (that is, boycott). That said, if things went down with the photographer and the cops, then that is clearly wrong and disturbing.
Raoul: there is a Supreme Court of Canada decision that tempers the rights we have with our cameras in public. It’s known as Aubry v. Éditions Vice-Versa Inc. and you can read a summary of it on Wikipedia with a link to the full text of the decision.
Kate 09:52 on 2012/04/14 Permalink
Antonio, that case has nothing to do with journalists being present at a newsworthy event. It had to do with a magazine publishing a person’s photo without their permission.
Antonio 17:44 on 2012/04/14 Permalink
Kate, you’re quite right in the distinction that you make between the Aubry case and the story in your original post. The point in bringing up Aubry was just to say that there are precedents to temper the position that the camera and its contents are absolutely mine.
Chris 01:28 on 2012/04/15 Permalink
Raoul, technology is a cat and mouse game. Yeah, you can upload your photos as soon as you take them, but the cops could also bring transmission jamming equipment, for example.
Kate 11:55 on 2012/04/15 Permalink
On thinking about it, the Aubry case was established before the internet. It would be interesting to see a challenge of the principle based on someone “publishing” a photo on Flickr, Instagram, Facebook or the like. The existence of these online image platforms totally undermines the idea. I’m always seeing pictures of people posted, presumably random people, probably not friends of the photographer and unlikely to have signed model releases.