Since my last blog on copyright, which focused on the lecture given by Peter Hodges. I have been fortunate enough to also be treated to the Chris Horrie copyright experience. My findings are as follows.
Copyright is a branch of law that protects intellectual property, intellectual property is what we use to make money, therefore, it is very important. The most important thing to remember, is that ideas are not copyrighted (as I have previously mentioned), therefore you have to find some way to publish it and gain copyright protection. I will explain using an analogy that Chris gave us. You are a shed builder. You have built a shed, and that shed belongs to you. Once you sell it, it becomes the property of the buyer, as if he made it himself. The same applies if you build sheds for a wage. As soon as you are paid for your work, it ceases to be yours. This is why you don't see assembly line workers running after cars (or whatever) shouting that they've had their hubcaps stolen.
Obviously this is a broad definition, and there are exceptions. If you wrote a book, for example, you have put in your time and effort, and (we assume) you have not been paid to do so. The story belongs to you and once published, every time a copy is bought, you receive payment in the form of royalties. This is similar to freelance reporters. As opposed to reporters that work for a paper/network etc. For whom, once they write a report, it becomes the property of said paper/network. Freelancers on the other hand, are paid for the use of their work. They effectively lease out their work, and can do this as many times as they like and still retain ownership of their 'shed' (like renting out a house, rather than selling it).
Returning to the book-writing scenario I just mentioned. You receive your royalties initially as an advance sum, the amount of which depends on how well they think your book will sell. If your book does better than anticipated, you will be given extra royalties. If it does worse, then you keep your advance but get nothing extra and in future will receive lower offers for any other books you may write, as they will not be expected to do very well.
Lifting, or fair dealing, allows you to use certain copyrighted material to report current events, only if you sufficiently acknowledge the author, and if it has been made available to the public. Fair dealing is what allows criticism or review, though you have to be careful not to 'lift' too much. There is no set cap on how much you may use, but it is advisable to keep it to a minimum. You would not be allowed to used dishonestly obtained material, McNae's gives an example of this involving the Sun using stills from a security video showing Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed at the Villa Windsor. The judge found this to be an infringement of copyright which could not be defended. It is also worth noting that photographs are never protected by fair dealing.
The Huffington Post, a citizen journalism site that I have mentioned in a previous blog, has been criticised as being too friendly with using links to other news sites as a way of padding out their own stories. I am not sure whether links count as lifting as they are used to direct readers to a separate site that owns the content. I would personally prefer to use links rather than quote large amounts of text from other news media, though the length would be a factor, however I try not to use them unless I want to bring an entire story to attention, rather than just certain parts. As links are a fairly recent tool for reporting, I am not sure whether they are covered in copyright law. If anyone can point me in a direction to find out, I would be much obliged, as I've pretty much talked myself out of wanting to use them!
Showing posts with label Huffington Post. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Huffington Post. Show all posts
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Friday, 29 October 2010
Citizen Journalism
Citizen Journalism (CJ) refers to a wide range of activities that members of the public can contribute information and opinions concerning news events to. CJ is a very old, perhaps even ancient, practice that has evolved along with the technology of the age. The first major technological breakthrough to give CJ an effective outlet was Gutenberg’s moveable type printing press. The Gutenberg press revolutionised the media, effectively making scribes redundant and allowing publications to be made by anyone who could afford to produce them. These publications ranged from simple pamphlets and newsletters, to books and, eventually, newspapers. CJ was used in this way by Suffragettes during the early 1900s. By handing out pamphlets and flyers, they hoped to put across their message, change current opinion, and grant women equal rights.
As with the printing press, many think that the telegraph, radio, and television made significant contributions to this field. But it was not until the advent of digital technologies and media were the public given such unparalleled access to new production and investigative software, as well as an immensely improved systems of communication in the form of email, instant messaging, and web forums. This allowed CJ to develop into a media field that was increasingly professional, accurate, and world-wide.
Initially, the citizen journalists on the internet were primarily bloggers. These bloggers would not, in the same way as conventional journalists, investigate stories or use sources to gain information. They would take the information that had already been published and using their own style, reformat the story for their own use. Many bloggers have thousands of subscribers and can exert an increasing amount of influence. This style of blogger has become more popular since the creation of sites such as YouTube, home to the ‘Philip DeFranco Show’ and ‘What the Buck‘.
Of the more promising neo-CJ that has developed in recent years, the Huffington Post has emerged as a first-rate news source. From its formation in May 2005 as a forum for various bloggers, including Rob Reiner and Larry David. The Huffington Post has become a fully fledged news website, with over 3000 bloggers, and coverage that ranges from politics and religion, to entertainment and education.
In April 2008, during the run-up to the American presidential election, there was a demonstration of the influence that can be exerted by CJ; in this case through the Huffington Post. Mayhill Fowler, a blogger on the Post was following Barack Obama’s campaign through Pennsylvania to California. At a fundraiser in California, Obama, after asking members of the press to leave, gave a speech that discussed the cultural gap in certain states such as Pennsylvania, as opposed to richer, more liberal states, such as California. Fowler, not technically a member of the press was not required to leave and was able to record the speech. As a result, she was able to publish a story that quoted him saying that Pennsylvanians, “cling to guns or religion”. Regardless of Obama’s intentions, this remark almost cost him the election. If Fowler had not been there as a representative of CJ, this may never have been reported and a huge amount of controversy would have been avoided. Nonetheless, the public had a right to know such statements were being made and CJ was able to provide the medium.
As with the printing press, many think that the telegraph, radio, and television made significant contributions to this field. But it was not until the advent of digital technologies and media were the public given such unparalleled access to new production and investigative software, as well as an immensely improved systems of communication in the form of email, instant messaging, and web forums. This allowed CJ to develop into a media field that was increasingly professional, accurate, and world-wide.
Initially, the citizen journalists on the internet were primarily bloggers. These bloggers would not, in the same way as conventional journalists, investigate stories or use sources to gain information. They would take the information that had already been published and using their own style, reformat the story for their own use. Many bloggers have thousands of subscribers and can exert an increasing amount of influence. This style of blogger has become more popular since the creation of sites such as YouTube, home to the ‘Philip DeFranco Show’ and ‘What the Buck‘.
Of the more promising neo-CJ that has developed in recent years, the Huffington Post has emerged as a first-rate news source. From its formation in May 2005 as a forum for various bloggers, including Rob Reiner and Larry David. The Huffington Post has become a fully fledged news website, with over 3000 bloggers, and coverage that ranges from politics and religion, to entertainment and education.
In April 2008, during the run-up to the American presidential election, there was a demonstration of the influence that can be exerted by CJ; in this case through the Huffington Post. Mayhill Fowler, a blogger on the Post was following Barack Obama’s campaign through Pennsylvania to California. At a fundraiser in California, Obama, after asking members of the press to leave, gave a speech that discussed the cultural gap in certain states such as Pennsylvania, as opposed to richer, more liberal states, such as California. Fowler, not technically a member of the press was not required to leave and was able to record the speech. As a result, she was able to publish a story that quoted him saying that Pennsylvanians, “cling to guns or religion”. Regardless of Obama’s intentions, this remark almost cost him the election. If Fowler had not been there as a representative of CJ, this may never have been reported and a huge amount of controversy would have been avoided. Nonetheless, the public had a right to know such statements were being made and CJ was able to provide the medium.
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