Police Demand to See Pictures Taken by News Photographer at Riot
A news photographer in the U.K. says police are obtaining a court order that will force him to hand over his pictures to them.
Freelancer Joel Goodman was covering violence in Rotherham, England as a mob attacked a hotel accommodating asylum seekers. He captured a remarkable set of photos showing fires being set, fighting, and missiles being thrown.
“Journalists must not be seen to be police officers. We must not be seen to be acting on behalf of the police. It’s a fundamental trust issue,” Goodman tells the BBC.
The photographer says he not only wants to protect himself but also his colleagues from being perceived as working for the police.
“The worst outcome would be for people to think we’re acting as agents of the police. If people think we’re unpaid evidence gatherers then that will make it impossible to be trusted in any situation,” Goodman writes on X (formerly Twitter) in a lengthy Thread.
He adds that photojournalists often find themselves “confronting hostility” and that the situation has gotten worse over time.
“Even in quite mundane situations, acting visibly in our jobs can invite random threats and abuse,” says Goodman.
The photographer says he has trust and respect for individual police officers, some of whom were injured protecting innocent people during the violence that erupted at the beginning of August.
“Some of my colleagues were also injured at those events, doing their own important work as the police did theirs, so I know the risks those officers took and the violence they faced down,” Goodman adds.
The general secretary of the National Union of Journalists says the police attempting to force Goodman to hand over his photos “only serves to erode the safety of journalists working in challenging circumstances”.
A spokesman for South Yorkshire Police tells the BBC that the force is allowed to apply to a judge for a court order forcing journalists to disclose material, in certain circumstances.
“We are considering applying to the court for this sort of order in relation to the images,” the police say.
The laws in the U.K. are similar to those in the U.S. where news photographers are afforded legal protections for their photos. For police to legally view a photographer’s pictures, they must obtain a warrant issued by a judge.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
