Class memories

The Information Commissions Office has issued new guidance to schools saying that parents and other family members should not be prevented from taking photographs or video of their children at school events citing the Data Protection Act.
The Act has been widely used to prevent people taking pictures at school events such as nativity plays and sports days. Now the commission office wants that to end and says such pictures are the basis of albums of happy memories. This does not open things up for press photographers though who still need to get permission from the school to take pictures of children at these events.
It does however open up the debate and starts to put schools and other authorities that have tried to prevent photography on notice that they will have to be more convincing with attempts to prevent photography.
This is not the only bit of good news for photographers. Section 58 of the Counter Terrorism Act introduced in February makes it an offence to take pictures of the police for use in terrorism. This has caused a bit of stir in some newspapers but Lord Carlile has recently ridden to the rescue.
The Lord, who revies terror legislation, has said that the law sets a high bar. Giving the green light for photographers, amateur or professional, to continue taking pictures he warns police officers that they may face prosecution themselves if they continue to force photographers to delete pictures. The clause that says taking pictures for use by terrorists is a high bar and one that would require proof said his lordship.

Good news from Belfast

Good news that journalist Suzanne Breen won the right to protect her sources at a court in Belfast last week. Ms Breen had been contacted by the Real IRA following the Massereene barracks murders claiming responsibility for the atrocity. Police investigating the case wanted her to hand over all records, phones, computers and notebooks in a search for clues. They had given little detail of what they wanted and Ms Breen refused to hand over any material. She told the court that her life would be in danger if she were to hand over material to the NI police sevice. The Belfast Recorder agreed, saying there was a real risk of the group carrying out its bood-thirsty threats. However he also said it was a difficult decision to make. Ms Breen had been supported throughout byh the National Union of Journalists.
Ms Breen will not now be obliged to reveal her sources, not only ensuring her life is not put at risk but also allowing her to become the latest in an honour roll of journalists prepared to take a stand at considerable personal risk for the integrity of their profession.
Freedom of the media to investigate wrongdoing and inform the public about it often depends upon getting information from people who have a lot to lose if their identity were revealed. Only by promising confidentiality are journalists able to ensure people are still willing to talk.
Suzanne is to be praised for her brave stand which has left journalism in a stronger positon.

PCC's annual report

The PCC has just released its annual report. Not surprisingly it again claims the year has been another success for self regulation: the rise in complaints to more than four and a half thousand is good, it says, but the small number of adjudications and fall in resolutions is also good. Sir Christopher Meyer will leave his job as chairman this month surrounded by the heady scent of smug self-satisfaction.
It will be interesting to learn how the Select Committee now investigating the PCC's activities views the PCC's performance after hearing the evidence of Gerry McCann and Max Mosley. The two men may have very different reasons for detesting the Press, but both believe that self-regulation is not a sufficient control.
Despite the 4,600 complaints, only 42 were adjudicated by the PCC with fewer than half upheld, most of these such gross breaches that there was little option but to uphold. To read the annual report of the PCC is lead one to believe that the British press is a paragon of professional virtue. It is doubtful if many recognise this as an appropriate description.

PCC starts new year with a bang

The PCC got off to a busy start in 2009, launching an investigation into its own complaint about several newspapers and websites covering the case of a man committing suicide with a chain saw. The Newspapers includ the Metro, The Guardian, Daily Star, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, The Sun, Daily Mirror and the Independent and their websites. The Metro (but not its website) and the Guardian did not have complaints upheld against them, but all the others, both print and websites, did have complaints upheld for giving too much detail about the suicide method and how the man had managed to kill himself.
The suicide clause is a new one for the PCC (see below) and one they are determined to uphold.