The National Union of Journalists has released a video - Press Freedom: "Collateral Damage". The nine-minute video, put together by freelance photographer Marc Vallée, shows footage of police officers preventing press photographers from doing their job. It also takes a look at the Metropolitan Police Forward Intelligence Team, which has been gathering images of and information about photographers and journalists reporting on protests.

You can view the video below. It will form part of a longer documentary project, which will be released in 2009. For more details, visit www.nuj.org.uk.

In the space of a few hours, several big news items have broken in the world of photography.

First and foremost, BJP was able to reveal this year's shortlist for the prestigious Deutsche Börse Prize. The shortlist for the 2009 edition of the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize is split equally between young and established artists, with two men and two women making up the four names whose work will go on show at The Photographers’ Gallery next year before the £30,000 winner is announced on 05 March.

Paul Graham and Tod Papageorge are the most recognisable names to make the list, though Taryn Simon and Emily Jacir – both still in their thirties – have become two of the most talked about young photo-based artists this past 12 months. Read BJP's full coverage here.

Late last night, Digital Railroad went offline for good. While, the demise of the hosting site was expected, no one thought it would happen without proper notice. Now photographers find themselves with no way to salvage their tagged images. They will also have to find a new hosting site for their photos. Photoshelter might be an option. For more on this, read our article here. And check out next week's issue of BJP for a full report on the consequences of DRR's demise.

And finally, in the UK, the Home Office has admitted that restrictions on photography in public places have been, in some cases, inappropriate. The news (full report here) comes as the National Policing Improvement Agency has confirmed to BJP that it will issue new guidelines to police officers on stop-and-search powers and photography in public places. Read the story here.

BJP will continue to cover these events with exclusive interviews. Check back soon. Also, in a very unimaginative move (Photo District News has been doing it for months now), you can also get our latest news through Twitter. Click here to subscribe.

Our Twitter feed can also be found right here on 1854.eu (right column).

Another video has emerged of a journalist, Jesse Oldershaw, being stopped and searched while covering the protests in front of the Greek embassy in London. The event took place on Wednesday 10 December. The journalist is searched after a police officer claims that a yellow pen could be a weapon. (Skip to 4min25sec to see the incident).

This is the second journalist to have been subjected to unreasonable police action during protests at London's Greek embassy. Last week, it emerged that another press photographer had been subjected to heavy-handed methods from a Metropolitan Police officer. The incident had also been filmed and can be seen here.

Reuben Powell is an unlikely terrorist, writes The Independent today. This artist has been photographing and drawing life around Elephant & Castle for 25 years. But, last week he was arrested and detained for five hours because his work posed an unacceptable security risk. He was handcuffed and had his genetic material stored permanently on the DNA database. Read more at The Independent.

For anyone thinking that the New Year would bring sense to police forces in their attitude towards photographers, Powell's case is a stark reminder that photography in public places continues to be under threat, as the numerous cases in December 2008 have shown (see here, here and here).

Amateur Photographer published today a summary of the BBC Radio 4 Law in Action programme in which reporter Clive Coleman interviews solicitor Rupert Grey of media specialist law firm Swan Turton about the increasing number of incidents pitching police officers against amateur and professional photographers.

The interesting point Grey makes is that '[The officers] are entitled to stop and search, look at what you have got and that is the limit of authority under that section. What appears to have been happening after that is they have, in some cases, arrested and then de-arrested the photographer. In other cases they have seized their material. In one case they deleted the material - and that is, in itself, a criminal offence.'

Grey added: 'It is really important that we are vigilant about our right to take photographs and our right to record and our right, as a photographic profession - as the press - to bear witness to the lives of ordinary citizens in this country. The moment the police or the state start interfering with exercise of that right - in ways other than are justifiable - then it is time for citizens to begin to say "hold on a minute, we just need to get this in perspective".'

The journalist also talked to the Association of Chief Police Officers who used the party line: 'Police Officers may not prevent someone from taking a photograph in public unless they suspect criminal or terrorist intent. Powers to stop and search are strictly regulated by law and once an image has been recorded, police have no power to delete or confiscate it without a court order.'

We heard that one before.

Read the full transcript at Amateur Photographer.
To listen to the Law in Action show, click here.

News of the upcoming mass photo-taking event planned for Monday 16 February is reaching the national newspapers, two weeks after the BJP revealed that a new law, the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008, will make it easier for police officers to stop photographers from taking pictures of them.

Today, The Guardian has an article about the whole situation. They interviewed Jeremy Dear, the National Union of Journalists' general secretary, who said:

"Police officers ... believe they have the power to delete images or to take editorial decisions about what can and can't be photographed. The right to take photos in a public place is a precious freedom. It is what enables the press to show the wider world what is going on."

BJP will be represented at the event on Monday, and we will bring you live coverage, with images, via this blog and via our Twitter feed. Check back on Monday 16 February from 10.30am (London Time).

To read more from The Guardian, click-here.

Tomorrow, Monday 16 February 2009, the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 will come into force, potentially making it a crime to take a picture of members of Her Majesty's armed forces, including constables.

The Act amends the Terrorism Act 2000 regarding offences relating to information about members of armed forces, a member of the intelligence services, or a police officer. The new set of rules, under section 76 of the 2008 Act and section 58A of the 2000 Act, will target anyone who 'elicits or attempts to elicit information about (members of armed forces) ... which is of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism'.

The penalty could be of up to 10 years in prison. While BJP does not believe the Act will result in the imprisonment of photographers and photojournalists, we believe the Act could be abused by some police officers who are already loosely using Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 to prevent photographers from taking pictures in public places.

So, we have joined the National Union of Journalists' call for photographers to make their voices heard at a media event on 16 February in front of New Scotland Yard. The plan is simple, turn up with your camera and exercise your democratic right to take a photograph in a public place.

The event starts at 11am. For more details, visit www.nuj.org.uk and the Facebook event page.

If you are not in London, we invite you to check our Twitter feed from 10.30am (London Time) on 16 February. We will be reporting live about the event with pictures and up-to-the-minute updates. Find it here.

Today, the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 comes into force, potentially making it a crime to take a picture of members of Her Majesty's armed forces, including constables. The National Union of Journalists has called for photographers to make their voices heard at a media event on 16 February in front of New Scotland Yard. The plan is simple, turn up with your camera and exercise your democratic right to take a photograph in a public place.

BJP's news editor Olivier Laurent is there to report live on the event. Follow the latest developments thanks to our Twitter feed here or on Twitter.com/1854.

More than 300 photographers gathered in front of New Scotland Yard on Monday 16 February to protest a new Counter-Terrorism Act that potentially makes it a crime to take photo of police officers and armed forces. Read our full report here.

BJP's Marina Scukina was there to take photos of the event. View the slideshow below.

While BJP posted some of its photos of today's event against the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008, there are a lot more photos now available on sites such as Flickr. Here are the links to a view sets worth a look.

Scotland Yard Photo Rights Rally by Simon Bradshaw
I'm a photographer not a terrorist by photourbanism
Photographers meet up in London by Snapperjack
Photo protest by blinkofaneye
Photographers' Rights Rally by Antony Bennison

And of course, check ours here.

A reader sent this video of the photographers' gathering in front of New Scotland Yard on Monday 16 February. The author, Marco La Nave, followed other cameramen and was able to film the interviews Mark Thomas and other photojournalists gave to networks such as Sky News and the BBC. Very interesting video.

The fear of terrorists falls over the innocent yet again, this time across the Atlantic, as New York’s police forces arrest photographer Robert Taylor. The New York Times article ‘No Photo Ban in Subways, Yet an Arrest’ tells his story of a wrongful arrest and its costs to taxpayers.

Taylor was stopped by a police officer citing ‘a nonexistent rule’. He was taking photographs on Subway station in Bronx. “He told me I couldn’t take the pictures. I told him that’s not true, that the rules permitted it. He said I was wrong. I said, ‘I’m willing to bet your paycheck’.” Taylor told The New York Times.

In handcuffs, Taylor was delivered to the Transit District 12 police station, and a warrant check was run. “They were citing 9/11,” he said. Taylor has been charged with accounts of disorderly conduct and impeding traffic.

According to the article, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority proposed a ban on photography in the subways twice within the last five years but the idea was dropped as it encountered opposition. “Even so, people taking pictures in the subways are regularly stopped by the police and asked to let the officers see their images or to delete them,” writes columnist Jim Dwyer.

Rule 1050.9 (c) of the New York state code says, “Photography, filming or video recording in any facility or conveyance is permitted except that ancillary equipment such as lights, reflectors or tripods may not be used.”

Dwyer also recalls last year’s lawsuit with a medical student who was using his vacation to photograph every subway stop which cost the city $31,501.

Channel M (for Manchester) has the story of a man who was arrested for allegedly taking part in terrorism reconnaissance by taking pictures of sewer-grates in Manchester. The problem? The man was not taking pictures. He didn't even have a camera, and there were no pictures of sewer-grates on his phone... Watch the report here.

And it continues... Amateur Photographer, one of BJP's competitors, has a very good report about armed police stopping and questionning two photographers who were taking pictures near the MI6 headquarters at Vauxhall in South London. Amateur Photographer's news editor, Chris Cheesman, witnessed the incident: 'At first there were just two officers, one of whom appeared to be asking to see the images on the young woman's camera, an enthusiast-level DSLR. She was taking shots from the slipway that leads down to the river, next to MI6.Twenty-five or thirty yards away a man, also with a tripod but on the pathway, was being questioned. Minutes later, more police arrived.'

The Metropolitan Police has currently no record of the incident, according to Amateur Photographer, but says that it could take a few days for it to receive such records. In the meantime, you can check the magazine's coverage of the overreaction here.

A new media campaign launched by the Metropolitan Police aimed at encouraging people to report any suspicious activity has been ridiculed by users online. The campaign ads show a busy London street with the following message: "A bomb won't go off here because weeks before a shopper reported someone studying the CCTV cameras. Don't rely on others. If you suspect it, report it."

Now, under the impulsion of the site Boing Boing, dozens of people have submitted their own ads, ridiculing the Metropolitan Police's latest scare tactics. Last year, photographers were up in arms against another Police campaign that specifically targeted them. For more details, check our previous coverage here.

This news is one-week old, but still of interest. The Telegraph wrote on 17 June that a school in Devon had banned parents from taking photos of and filing their own kids during sports day, 'claiming it was due to changes in child protection and images legislation.' Interesting, we didn't know there had been a change in legislation affecting photography (except maybe when it comes to taking pictures of police officers involved in anti-terrorism activities, as we've been reporting on since February).

Despite pleas from the majority of parents, who are afraid will lead to a ban for all school events, a spokesman for the school simply said: "It's a decision which individual head teachers come to, usually with consultation with governors."

Sad!

The photographers behind the Caliber blog are recounting their latest encounter with the security guards at 555 California in San Francisco. Needless to say, the security guards were not happy to see two photographers taking pictures of their building. Read the Caliber account here.

Of course, as it is the case in the UK, security guards have no right to prevent photographers from working in front of their buildings, as while it might be a private property, the sidewalk or plaza in front of these buildings are not. The public has a right of way, and unless you somehow prevent their business operations, you are in your legal right to take photos there.

If you thought the situation was getting worse only in the UK, check out this video of a Los Angeles County Sheriff stopping a photographer in the subway:

As more than 1500 photographers are expected to gather in Trafalgar Square tomorrow, I thought it would be interesting to contact a few of the authorities that are responsible for policing the square.

First up was the Squares Management team at the Greater London Authority. It manages both Trafalgar Square and also Parliament Square. After being put on hold, a member of the team told BJP that Greater London Authority was unaware of the 'gathering' as it as 'not an authorised event.'

The Metropolitan Police, on the other hand, while declining to officially comment, did say that it was aware of the event.

Now, some have expressed doubts over the effectiveness of the event, and the fact that it could be counter-productive. Simon Pollock, a music photographer, wrote this morning that he would not be attending the event. "I can’t help thinking that if we were a bit more polite and less stand-offish to start with, that the conversation would last about a minute and then both parties would be on their sweet way," said Pollock.

I understand his point. The last time a high-profile photographer was stopped, in this case Grant Smith, who is co-organising tomorrow's event, commenters on our Facebook page accused the photographer of antagonizing the police. The whole situation, a reader wrote, was "not handled well by ANYONE involved in this sorry tale."

Some photography magazines, such as ePHOTOzine, have argued that fact. In a 07 December 2009 post, ePHOTOzine's editor, Peter Bargh wrote: "I believe we should be free to take pictures in public access places, but I also realise that we have to be very careful regarding terrorism. I don't really have any issues about being stopped and my motives questioned, as long as I'm then allowed to continue once it's clear that I have no hidden agenda."

He added: "We all happily accept the occasional questioning at airport checkouts and I don't see a great deal of difference when photographing potential terrorist targets."

One could say that Bargh has a point. Except that the European Court of Human Rights has found, earlier this month, that the way these stop-and-searches are conducted is illegal, humiliating and embarrassing. In fact, the court went out of its way to say that these stops could not be linked to airport checks: "An air traveller may be seen as consenting to such a search by choosing to travel," the Court said. "He knows that he and his bags are liable to be searched before boarding the aeroplane and has a freedom of choice, since he can leave personal items behind and walk away without being subjected to a search. The search powers under section 44 are qualitatively different. The individual can be stopped anywhere and at any time, without notice and without any choice as to whether or not to submit to a search."

The European Court added that the powers lacked proper safeguards and could easily be abused by police officers. As our reporting, and that of Amateur Photographer - the only other magazine, it seems at times, to deal with this issue - has shown, these powers HAVE been abused in several high-profile cases. And that fact needs to be highlighted!

That's why the British Journal of Photography is supporting tomorrow's 'gathering' of photographers. In the next few weeks, the Home Office will be submitting its appeal to the Grand Chamber of the Court of Human Rights. If that court finds in favour of the Home Office, these "illegal" powers will continue to be used and abused, with some police officers comforted in their belief that the act of taking a photo in a public place is suspicious.

We need to prevent this from happening, and, at the moment, the best course of action is to show that we, photographers, stand united in defending our rights.

The photo event takes place at noon tomorrow, Saturday 23 January. For more information, visit photographernotaterrorist.org.

Today's gathering of photographers to defend their rights to take pictures in public places has been deemed a huge success as more than 1000 and close to 2000 photographers came together in Trafalgar Square. Read our report on BJP Online here.

The event was extensively covered by the media. The Guardian wrote that 'Trafalgar Square in central London was lit up by flash bulbs,' while the BBC reminded readers that the powers granted by Section 44 were found to be illegal by the European Court of Human Rights.

Even Agence France Presse dispatched a team to cover the event. It interviewed amateur photographer Lucy Hogan, from Bath, who said: "The support has been incredible. There are so many here today, even photographers from Italy.

Amateur Photographer's news editor Chris Cheesman was also present. He reports that the event was marked by only one incident when 'an officer was seen pursuing the woman as she walked away from the crowd.' Read his report here.

Listen to photojournalist Marc Vallée's reaction to today's huge turnout:

Listen to protesters screaming for their rights:

More photos of the event: