Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/11/15

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: Re: [Leica] some new snaps, a propos
From: Eric Welch <eric@jphotog.com>
Date: Sat, 15 Nov 2003 07:07:17 -0800
References: <636C8AE8-1741-11D8-908D-000A958F513A@jphotog.com> <3FB5E1EC.4060109@aol.com> <3FB5F4A8.9080808@rhodos.dk>

Ruben,

Thank you for such a nice response to what is really a silly match of 
egos.  And thank you for confirming what I was really thinking. My 
point about working as a press member and being required to have a 
press card before being allowed to work as a journalist was my real 
point. In the US, that would be unconstitutional because of the first 
amendment to the Constitution. A free press can only be free if it is 
free of government approval of who can do it.

Doctors and lawyers have no such constitutional protection here or 
anywhere else. That is all I was saying. But you are mostly right in 
that we all have our own problems to deal with, but it's hardly as big 
as those who live in more oppressive societies.

Thanks again for bringing reason and friendliness to this topic. And 
that's my last post on that. I was quite wrong and being a snob, and 
reacted to aggressively out of pride, and for that I apologize.

On Nov 15, 2003, at 1:40 AM, RUBEN BLĘDEL wrote:

> We were stuck with union rules in the area of journalism and 
> photojournalism years ago in Europa but with the amount of freelancers 
> around anyone may work with photojournalism but not everybody can hold 
> a press card. Getting a press card does demand a documented steady 
> income from professional work with journalism.  As far as I know it is 
> lawyers, doctors etc that need state approval and that has nothing to 
> do with politics - its educational background and following 
> professional conduct.  In short in Europa we have no restrictions on 
> claiming to be a photographer - and as far as I know the worst the 
> French has come up with work restriction wise was that the did not 
> permit non French skiing instructors ! Please let me state that I am 
> in no way anti American, I have a lot of gratitude towards the 
> American people but this discussion is in a way silly - instead of 
> trying to argue who has the most free press we should as a community 
> of artistic intellectual sensitive people worry more about our fellow 
> men / women in countries were there is no freedom of press!
Eric
Carlsbad, CA

Associate not with evil men, lest you increase their number. - George 
Herbert

- --
To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html

In reply to: Message from Eric Welch <eric@jphotog.com> (Re: [Leica] some new snaps, a propos)
Message from "Gerry Walden" <gwpics@aol.com> (Re: [Leica] some new snaps, a propos)
Message from RUBEN BLĘDEL <ruben@rhodos.dk> (Re: [Leica] some new snaps, a propos)