Its one thing for people to use some of the pictures I put online for their own purposes. A link back is the nice thing to do, though they often forget these basic manners. But its quite another when some lousy and supposed legitimate “news” racket borrows my stuff and they don’t acknowledge the source. And it’s even worse when its used for a purpose completely different then the original intent.
Take for example the pricks at Fox 11.
Last night I was watching the news hoping to get some highlights of the days matches, but instead Fox blathers on about Paris Hilton getting busted for pot in South Africa during a World Cup game. Then something about Lindsay Lohan getting punched in the face. You know, important news. And then all of a sudden, Chris Blabford is doing his usual get-tough-on-crime story, this time about someone they are accusing of having delighted many Angelenos with some inspiring freeway cats. Only his angle is the usual law and order bullshit. No surprise there. But what the fuck? Are they using one of my pictures to promote their anti-graffiti agenda? Boo! Hiss!
The whole reason for my post featuring the freeway cats was to point out how fun it was to spot them around the next bend, how they added a tiny bit of joy on that commute towards your daily dose of drudgery. None of that popular sentiment was even touched on in this report, just lots of whining about “costing tax payers money” and lame evidence against him just cuz he had some graffiti books in his house. I think what irks me most is that some low life reporter decides to use my picture of a social good to showcase some perceived social evil, turning my positive into a negative. Here’s a link to the story, my pic is at the 1:31 mark.
Oh wait, did you use two of my pictures?
Oh yes you did. Wot an asshole. I don’t get bent out of shape when someone takes my stuff online, that’s what the internet is for and I know I’m going to resume my own stealing soon enough. But when some figure of moral correctitude starts borrowing my poetic pro-crime tools to advance the agenda of The Man, then it’s time to call the fool out!
Done.
So in summary:
Ugh. Chris Blatchford is awful. His obsession with gangs is borderline pornographic. No surprise he’s now ripping off local bloggers to maintain his “expert” status on everything streets. Makes you wonder if every single report he’s done has been lifted from someone. The guy is a joke and a fraud. I always laughed at people who commended his “hard hitting” reports. Now I’ll laugh louder.
This Land Is Your Land/ This Land Is My Land.
Blatchford has no land, only supposition, venom, and the gigantic ego that always invades what he perceives to be “his work”…See if his book Black Hand doesn’t curdle your milk.
Chris Blatchford is a clown of the first degree, everything about him reeks of plagiarism, hokey theatrics, and pandering to the hysterical racist fears and prejudice of that targeted suburban Archie Bunker type viewer. Blatchfords staged, TV news “exclusives”, are a total rip-off of the old KTTV news screwball, the late George Putnam, with all of the strutting up to the camera while still speaking in shocked outrage and disgust, the twisting of his pin head while sticking his face into the camera at close range with his wimpy “tough guy” grimace, the laughable cartoon like Dick Tracy overcoat, Blatchfords breathless, gritty, urgent, but in the end, punk ass voice, almost pleading for a reaction. All undoubtedly rehearsed by Blatchford for optimum effect on his target audience.
It’s TV News at its most comic yet despicable low level.
It’s always a politically slanted and overly theatric performance, but one obviously desired and required by FOX (Faux) News and the Rupert Murdock’s of the world.
Dam thats not right,I got you’re back homie.Its crazy how mainstream media can use other bloggers stuff and get away with it and make the oridinary blogger look like we biting them! Not cool to all them people get you’re own dam pictures and ideas! Or if you’re going to use give some dam credit! Link or somrthing!
Opps sorry for typos i am on my phone.
plagiarism at it’s finest…they probably feel they do not need to credit…WHACK!!
Double boo hiss!
Send them a bill for $1500 per image. Then have a lawyer follow up with a letter. They are your copyrighted images and they should pay you.
Call the station and call them on Chris
Main Number: 310-584-2000
Comments section
http://www.myfoxla.com/subindex/about_us/contact_us
Plagiarist: Someone who forges ahead
Stop Chris in his tracks now
FOX NEWS: They report/ we derive………
Chris B of fox news is a complete moron, always has been. He is the fool who started calling kids “tag bangers” back in the 90s. He took advantage of kids who were drunk and partying and when a tagger youth saw the camera crew he approached them w/ a gun (just a kid “acting hard” for the camera); Chris began spreading the “tag bangers” bullshit. Call and complain! who knows maybe you’ll win!
CalaverasCallejeras is absolutely right. Your work is automatically covered by copyright law at the moment of it\’s recording by default in this country unless you state otherwise.
They make money. They used your image. You hold the copyright. Bill them.
You might look at Getty Images or another licensing company and get an idea of what the photos are worth. Two photos, with two or three uses: once for television and once for the web, maybe once for mobile. Journalistic use gets a lower rate, generally. $1,500 sounds good. Share the proceeds with the artist.
Every photo that the for-profit news steals is a little bit of work stolen from a working photographer. Bloggers, Flickr fotogs, should protect their work to prevent commercial interests from exploiting the material. It’s good to let the non-commercial culture copy, but when the commercial side does, they have to pay up – it’s necessary to draw a boundary between the two spheres.
Power to “los gatos”!
I’m on TEAM GATOS!
I don’t care for fox, or fox news. What I do have a gripe against is idiots tagging up our city and making it look like shit, thats good they used your image to catch that low life.
I could probably get thrown in jail for this in the police state we’re living in now, but I actually think graffiti looks better than all of the mini malls and checkered apartment buildings that keep popping up.
how do i get in touch with Mr. Blatchford. I have another very good idea for a story in East LA. Please call the Maravilla Businesspersons’ Association at 323 268-6622