A group of press photographers reached a historical settlement with the New York City Police Department Tuesday, with an agreement that has the potential to transform police conduct and training, especially regarding the First Amendment for both journalists and the general public.
A livestreaming photographer has been acquitted by a jury for interfering with police's response to a mass shooting.
A federal judge has halted the controversial new state law in Arizona that bans people from photographing and filming police officers within 8 feet. The new law, which opponents have slammed as a violation of free speech, was to go into effect on September 24th.
Earlier this year, Arizona governor Doug Ducey signed HB 2319, a law that would make it illegal to record or photograph police within eight feet of them. It's being challenged, and the results will have nationwide implications.
The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) has joined with the Arizona Broadcasters Association and the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona (along with eight other media organizations) to file a lawsuit against Arizona's law that restricts the recording of police.
A new Arizona law will soon make it illegal for bystanders to record police activity within eight feet. Civil rights activists and national press photographers have condemned the act as a violation of free speech.
Grand Teton National Park has canceled its plans to require permits from photographers looking to shoot any kind of portrait for clients in the Wyoming park. The changes had been met with criticism from both photographers and First Amendment lawyers.
A federal judge has overturned the stringent drone laws in Texas, citing that it is an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment. The lawsuit challenging the law was brought in 2019 by the National Press Photographer's Association (NPPA).
As a photographer, it is important to know your rights in every aspect of the medium, from where and what you can photograph to what people are allowed to do with your photos without your permission. This article is a guide to your rights as a photographer in the United States.
A reporter from a Univision affiliate in Arizona has accused police of illegally seizing his phone and threatening to access its contents by "brute force" during an incident in April.
Journalism and civil rights groups have joined in the effort to overturn a West Palm Beach appeals court decision that they think could block the public and press from filming police in the future.
A woman in Seattle, Washington, is facing criticism after sharing a video on TikTok in which she confronts an older man who was photographing her on a public outdoor path.
The NPPA has announced that it will instruct police, first responders, and journalists across the United States about citizens' right to record police and officials who are carrying out their public duties.
A Denver SWAT officer has sparked outrage after a television news camera caught him shoving a crouched photographer toward a burning pile of trash.
An appeals court has ruled that a 40-year-old man who followed women around with a camera to shoot creepy images of them did not commit any crime because the photography was done in public places.
Street photographer Joshua Rosenthal visited the Ventura County Fair in Ventura, California, this week and roamed the fairgrounds while shooting candid portraits of visitors. The next day, he woke up to find that he had become the target of vicious accusations on social media and a search by local vigilantes.
Here's a video of a disconcerting encounter between a police officer and photographer that's making the rounds online. It shows a police officer in San Diego drawing his gun on the photographer filming because he "doesn't know" what the GoPro attached to the main camera is.
Folsom Street Fair, the annual BSDM fair in San Francisco, upset photographers in 2016 with its "Ask First" campaign that asked photographers to receive permission before taking photos of people on the public streets of the fair. This year, the same event organizers have released a warning that compares taking photos without consent to sexual assault.
The city of Los Angeles is banning photography at free concerts in a public park, and photographers aren't happy about it. Several prominent photographer, journalist, and civil rights organizations have joined forces in writing a letter that protests the policy.
Capitol Hill police officers in D.C. are being accused of violating the First Amendment after reports emerged that journalists were forced to delete photos and videos of protests at the Senate.
Photographing and filming police officers in public is a constitutional right protected by the First Amendment. That's what a federal appeals court unanimously affirmed this week in cases involving Philadelphia officers retaliating against citizens pointing cameras at them.
It seems the Melissa Click saga has come to an end. A few months after being filmed confronting a photojournalist during a student protest at the University of Missouri, the mass media professor was fired yesterday for infringing on the student's rights.
In a surprise decision in the US court system, a federal judge ruled last Friday that photographing and filming police officers isn't always protected by the First Amendment.
Remember Melissa Click? She's the University of Missouri professor who sparked an outcry after being filmed confronting photojournalists and calling for "muscle" to remove them from a public area during an on-campus protest in November 2015.
Well, Click was charged with assault yesterday for her actions.
The University of Missouri has one of the oldest and most prestigious journalism schools in the country, but in November 2015, the school had its reputation tarnished by a viral video that showed student photographer Tim Tai and cameraman Mark Schierbecker getting blocked and harassed by student activists and university staff.
Over 100 of Missouri's lawmakers are now demanding that the assistant media professor, Melissa Click, be fired for her actions during the protests.
Earlier today, we shared a viral video of student photojournalist Tim Tai being confronted by activists while photographing the ongoing University of Missouri protests. One of the main people under fire for their actions in the video is Melissa Click, an assistant professor of mass media.
Cameraman Mark Schierbecker has just posted a longer version of his video (embedded above) that shows Click's role in the human media blockade more clearly.
Ongoing student protests at the University of Missouri over campus race relations have dominated the media over the the past several days. Now a new video showing the group blocking a student photographer is sparking controversy and discussion about press freedom.
The 6.5-minute video above shows student photographer Tim Tai being blocked from a public area of campus on Monday while on assignment for ESPN.
The city of Atlanta, Georgia, has an old local law from 1977 that makes it illegal to shoot photos of people on public sidewalks. The law has never resulted in an arrest or citation, but it did make the news last week after police officers reportedly cited the ordinance to prevent photographers from taking pictures on city sidewalks.
The NPPA and 11 news organizations wrote a letter to Atlanta's mayor, Kasim Reed, and now Atlanta is saying that the law will be repealed.
Sex offenders have the 1st Amendment right to photograph children in public. That's what a state Court of Appeals in Wisconsin ruled on Tuesday, striking down a law that make it illegal for registered sex offenders to take ordinary pictures of kids in public without getting permission from the parents.
In September 2014, a new law in New Hampshire made it illegal to take a photograph within a voting booth in the state. If you decided to share a photo of yourself and your ballot, the state could have issued you a fine of up to $1,000. Today a judge struck down the law in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
There have been a number of controversial bills and laws lately, some of which have been pulled or vetoed after protests from photographers and the public. The latest legislation to raise eyebrows comes from the state of Wyoming, which passed a new law in March that prohibits collecting data about the environment to share with the government. Problem is, the wording is so broad that it infringes on photographers' rights.
A new "Ansel Adams Act" introduced in Congress could have big implications on photographers' rights across the United States. The bill aims to "restore the First Amendment rights of photographers" by removing restrictions on taking photos in public places.
Shot back in April, the above video shows “Ex-Cop Law Student" Andrew Wake attempting to record a seemingly routine traffic stop when a Gray County Sherriff’s Deputy eventually shows up by his side.
After handing out his name and date of birth, the Deputy asks a few more questions to which Wake kindly refuses to answer per his rights. Confrontation over, good to go right? Not so much. Things get interesting after the traffic stop is over and Wake starts heading away from the scene.
Last Thursday, we told you about the newest anti-paparazzi bill to hit the California State Assembly. Focused on expanding the definition of harassment, SB 606 was drafted for the specific purpose of protecting the children of celebrities -- some hollywood actresses have already spoken out in support of the bill.
As with many a legal mater, however, not everyone is in favor of the bill. While most would agree that protecting children from being harassed by paparazzi is a worthy goal, the NPPA is now officially speaking out against SB 606, warning the public that this bill's vague wording "threatens first amendment rights."
Vice President Joe Biden's press secretary has apologized to a student reporter at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism's Capital News Service after the journalist was forced to delete photographs he shot at a domestic violence event featuring Biden and other politicians.
The US Department of Justice issued a statement this past Sunday that confirms the fact that the 1st, 4th, and 14th Amendment protect citizens' rights to photograph police in public places.
Earlier we reported on two separate cases where video evidence of police shot by random citizens wound up being crucial in the exoneration of photographers arrested while doing their job. Well, appropriately enough, the US Department of Justice just recently came out in defense of the right to record police while they are on duty.
After being arrested on October 1, 2007 for using his cell phone to film officers making an arrest, Boston …
Boston lawyer Simon Glik was arrested on October 1, 2007 when he used his cell phone to record officers making a drug arrest, and later sued the city and the officers for violating his rights. After the officers tried to having the lawsuit dismissed on the basis of qualified immunity, a Federal Appeals Court denied the motion last week and ruled that filming and photographing police is in fact protected by the First Amendment.