AS A JOURNALIST, HOW DO you handle an event like the Philly Naked Bike Ride?Can you shoot video of them and run it on air? Can you run their pictures in the newspaper? Should the media show full-frontal if that is actually what was happening? Do the naked people have the right to be upset if their goodies are shown on television or published in print (or run on the Internet for the whole world to see)?
(The photo above is by David Maialetti, a TU grad, adjunct TU professor and photojournalist with the Philadelphia Daily News).
9 comments:
The naked bike riders are in public, so yes they can be filmed and photographed. Media outlets also have the right to publish these images in their newspapers, television shows, etc. If they should do this or not, especially if it is an image from the front of the bikers, is up to their discretion. An online website or blog might run all of the images uncensored, whereas a paper knowing that they are appealing to the general public, would probably choose to censor or not run the images at all. Lastly, the bikers do not have a right to be upset; they decided to go outside naked, riding their bike around a huge city. Of course they’re going to be photographed.
Personally, I think we're too uptight with what we show and "can't" show or say and "can't" say on tv, radio, and print. It's genitalia. We've all got some in one way or another. Even with "swear" words: they're just words. Granted racial slurs are something different, but who's the guy who sits behind a desk and says I can't say shit on the evening news or write it in my weekly column? Running film or photos of the rear ends (or front front ends) in any media is fine by me. Plus, it's be a riot for anyone with a decent sense of humor. They're not out in a big mass orgy, they're riding bicycles for eco-awareness. My hats off to their determination and grit.
Also: the bikers are going riding in the buff by choice in a busy city in broad daylight at a big event. They are COMPLETELY aware there will be photographs taken and have no basis of an argument to complain if any media medium were to run photographs. It's that damn simple.
Well if anyone went to this event, they handed out flyers with text in big letters that said "this photograph was taken without permission". If you have that on, the press cannot publicly display your photo (I think, but I could be wrong, help me out George). But everyone else - Fair Game! - I mean their riding their bikes naked through the streets of philly. Is that not meant to draw some media attention? I think more random people now have naked pictures of me then I really care to know, but I freely rode around naked and I'll be damned if it wasn't worth every picture potentially ruining my chances at a real career.
I don't like the FCC, or the idea of censorship at all for that matter. I will say however, if you see a bunch of naked men and women riding bikes by your house, and your first instinct is to run and get your camera, there might be something wrong with you.
If you are in the public and offering the public your private information then anticipate that your private imnformation is now legally public information.
Yo Lumpy!
When I see a lot of naked people on bicycles, I grab my camera. I'm not a perv. I'm a journalist!
But that brings up the next set of questions for the class ... what defines news? Are naked bicyclists newsworthy? Is there a story there?
Or did the media jump on the event because it made for funny visuals?
- George
(your fully-clothed bicycle commuting professor)
I think that it is news and it should be published only from behind. Frontal pictures are too graphic but asses are the safest way to go. Naked people do not have the right to be upset because the set themselves up for world wide wed humiliation. The only reason that i think asses can be shown is because that's what's widely accepted by society.
Journalist should be able to post a video of these people back end where ever they please. These people should have known that once they walk out their home, where they have privacy because they are behind closed doors, that their privacy will not exist anymore. People should not be upset if they see their goodies in the internet or just in media because they should have known that will happen. I do not believe it will be smart to post the front view of the people because some may be very disturbing and that just would not be a smart thing to do as a journalist.
Picture 48 is another TU fan. http://www.philly.com/philly/photos/The_Philly_Naked_Bike_Ride_.html
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