Union pledges to fight for photographers' rights

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The work of photographers is under threat from all sides and the NUJ is defending them, a union conference in London was told on Monday 18 May. Nearly 200 photographers at the conference made clear their determination in a heated discussion with the Metropolitan police commander in charge of public order policing in London, who was repeatedly challenged over the treatment of journalists at recent public order events.

Photographers told Commander Bob Broadhurst that officers at recent protests had refused to accept the NUJ press card, even though it is formally recognised by all police authorities.
One, Michael Preston, said his arm had been broken by an officer with a truncheon to whom he was holding out his card to show it.
Commander Broadhurst said he accepted the right of journalists to work unhindered but insisted that officers also had a right to control everybody present at public order events. He said: “Some of our officers have huge problems dealing with groups of people when they are faced with a phalanx of photographers."
The conference came six weeks after numerous complaints were raised over the policing of G20 protests in London, but NUJ members said the difficulties went back much further.
A major problem identified was the lack of training of police in how to deal fairly with the media, despite the guidelines agreed between the NUJ and the Association of Chief Police Officers.
NUJ Legal Officer Roy Mincoff also highlighted concerns around the surveillance of journalists, particularly those covering demonstrations. He requested assurances that the police do not retain records of photographers and journalists whom they have been either deliberately or inadvertently photographing over the last few of years. Whilst unable to give assurances at the meeting, Commander Broadhurst promised to respond to the union.
Emma Hulme of Thompsons Solicitors told the conference that new counter-terrorism laws were undermining the few rights that journalists had to protect their work from the state. She highlighted the fact that safeguards in the 1984 Police and Criminal Evidence Act – under which police need a court order to get their hands on journalists' material – are being superseded by the powers of stop and search granted to police by successive counter-terrorism acts.
NUJ General Secretary Jeremy Dear committed the union to fight for photographers' rights, saying: “We will never rest as long as members are stopped from working free from threat and harassment. We've met government ministers and police chiefs. We laid siege to New Scotland Yard in the largest media event they'd seen for years."
He went on to highlight the dozens of photographers who have lost their jobs over the last year, and the many more who are being hit by budget cuts. He commented: “Too many media companies have replaced professional images with the product of their drive for cheap, copyright-free user-generated content."
Speaking after the conference, NUJ Freelance Organiser John Toner said: “The photographers I've spoken to after the conference were hugely enthusiastic about the event. The quality of speakers was there for all to see and their ability to engage with the audience made it an important and educational event. Most importantly the photographers there felt that we were addressing issues that were crucial to their working lives."

DATELINE: 25 January, 2010

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