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Bidding for Bidgood: no shame for the buyers?
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Some weird moral conundrums arise in the MP-photos affair, in which Labor backbencher James Bidgood flogged the photos he took of a man threatening to set himself alight on the lawns of Parliament House. Michelle Grattan opined on the Radio National’s Breakfast show this morning that common human decency should have told Bidgood that what he did was no good. But what about the newspapers that bought or tried to buy the photos — and for that matter the readers of those newspapers who are presumed to have an appetite for such things? Are the standards of human decency not applicable here? Or is Michelle just being precious? Is it okay for newspapers to try and cater for voyeurs, but not okay for citizens — or MPs at any rate — to cater to them? I am not sure of any easy answers here. The man’s threats are certainly news. So too the reasons for his serial protests - his quest for a visa for his aged parents. I don’t know the background, but why is it that the immigration problems of a nice German doctor in Victoria make news, and yet this is the first I have heard of this man and his problems? The man, Marat Aminov, has protested before by jumping on to the floor of parliament, among other things. His parents have staged a hunger strike on the lawns of Parliament House. I still don’t know the rights and wrongs of their stance, and I would like to. I would like to think the media might pay attention without the need for dramatic photos. Amid all this, it’s interesting to see the different ways Fairfax — which tried and failed to buy the pictures — and News Limited, which got them, dealt with their reporting duties. The Herald Sun print edition used the photo big on page 19, with a story that stated Bidgood had supplied the photos in return for a donation to charity, and that a Sydney Morning Herald photographer had offered more “but Mr Bidgood insisted his pictures were only published in the Daily Telegraph.” (and, apparently, the Herald Sun, and online, and and … ), as though this was a matter of journalistic pride. Is it really something to boast of, that an MP in disgrace for his callous behaviour chose you, and only you? And now online, the photo is still being used, but Daily Telegraph editor Garry Linnell is quoted as saying that there was no question of sale for Bidgood’s profit. It was always going to be charity “I said instantly, ‘Yes, let’s do it’.” Interestingly News Limited stable mate The Australian print edition story this morning contradicts Linnell. The Oz chose not to use the pics, and ran a story leading on the trouble Bidgood was in, and quoting his exchange with photographers, which states Bidgood sought cash, but the photographers refused to pay until Bidgood made clear that the money was going to charity. “He agreed to provide the photographs to News Ltd but is understood to have refused to provide them to Fairfax,” says the Oz And Fairfax? The Age reports the story on the front page, leading on the fact that Rudd has “blasted” Bidgood over the affair, and claiming that when The Age approached him to buy the photos, he “said he had already done a deal with News”. So apparently the charity deal included exclusive rights. The photos are certainly dramatic, the story is news, and its naive to expect the tabloids not to go after the pics. But the media outlets that sought the pics are certainly not now in a position to go tut-tutting about Bidgood’s behaviour. And what about some reporting of the cause of the protest? |
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31 Comments
Jenny, are you seriously suggesting Bidgood ever held a seat in the SA Parliament? Having lived in SA my whole life and worked in SA state politics for a decade, I can assure you no-one of that name has had a seat in the SA Parliament in recent memory.
A man protests in a public place. He wants to draw attention to his cause. Camera and recording equipment is now ubiquitous. News organisations routinely solicit photos and reporting from ordinary citizens.
There is no objection to the reporting of a protest. There is no objection to more intrusive reporting done by professional journalists and photographers every day. Pictures of protests are news. Remember the wharf dispute? If Mr Bidgood were employed as a journalist he would not have been criticised. If the photo were good enough, he might have won a prize. If Mr Bidgood were a private citizen, it is unlikely he would have been criticised.
Where, precisely, is the wrong?
Is it because he is an MP? What extra obligation does that impose on him? To avoid conflicts of interest? He has not benefited personally. Recognising the commercial value of his photo, he has extracted that value from the commercial media for the purpose of charity.
Is it because he is a Government MP? Is he in some way identified with the object of the protest?
Michelle Grattan has joined many others in expressing outrage and abhorrence, demanding retractions, apologies, sacking. Umbrage is easy. Perhaps it’s more difficult to explain clearly how Mr Bidgood’s actions are to be deplored, when the same or worse is done daily by others, and as part of the professional duties of her colleagues.
Only a thousand bucks !..for exclusive and dramatic pix of a man who was attempting to draw attention to hmself ? Bidgood was ripped off and so was the charity. Should have been $5000. It’s the Silly Season and that’s the only reason this non-story got up.
Michelle Grattan has aways been a sanctomonious goose.
Well said Ailie. After hearing AM but before looking at the Sydney press I made it my business to address this story in the framework of CENSORSHIP of community media and that’s what it is really about.
“Insensitive, inappropriate”? For taking a picture invited by the protest to promote his own profile. Get real. Of course it was okay to take pictures. Then was it wrong to ask for money? Well there is no doubt someone was going to buy his intellectual property in the Big Media. And that’s what it was - intellectual property. So it was only a question of price and who should ethically benefit.
On principle I don’t think there is any objection to him profiting from his own work EXCEPT that he was in harness as an MP and therefore on our tab. So he was wise to donate it to charity. If he had been out of hours, or on holidays it would have been fine.
I reported the basic claims of the Aminov’s on my blog on 19 October ….2007, with a picture via, from memory, an email from Jamal Daoud, who is quoted in the news this week. 14 months ago. It’s here again today http://www.sydneyalternativemedia.com/blog
That’s how pathetic the govt department DIAC have been. But the attempt to sanction Bidgood (who ‘did good’ amplifying the humanitarian protest as any decent photographer, blogger, indy media, or agitator would have), sanction by the PM’s office is all about fear of the policy and politics of refugees, detention and stateless people.
To dress it up as wrong is pure ALP machine stock standard emotional violence in the name of playing the angles. In my humble opinion the rest is sophistry and internal Big Media rivalry.
I rang Bidgood’s phone about 9.30 a.m. and left a message as above as they were in hiding. I can just imagine the staffer listening as the calls came in. I also left a message at the Telegraph’s editorial desk., and Senator Hanson Young, Greens. And the Bidgood angle of the story has been killed stone dead, amen whether by coincidence or Big Govt shame.
Wake up Peter F - no one is confused about Bidgood (what an unfortunate moniker) who drifted from the British Labour Party into an SA State seat then propelled himself into federal politics via his current comfort stop in north QLD where he’s thankfully come to grief. Even dopey Abbott thinks he’s a novice MP and wants to give him leeway!! What’s wrong with you guys? I assumed Crikey contributors were IQ elite. Forget the real issue of national security and obscene visa queues — this bozo MP is as silly as his deep north colleagues - driven by conservate right wing policies of conservatism and authority. He drooled over the entire episode.
Christian Kent writes: Re. “Bidding for Bidgood: no shame for the buyers?” (Yesterday, item 2). Why is this photographer so controversial? There is no focus at all on the safety hazard of the protestor, or on the risks of deporting his parents, or even on the editors who pay for and publish photos like this. In fact, if a professional photographer had taken the same photo, would there be any comment on him? This is confected outrage because someone is an MP.
The beauty of democracy is that we get the politicians we collectively deserve. This incident just goes to confirm that point. I suppose that it is fortunate that some citizens and on percentage basis even fewer of our politicians manage to rise above this sort of behaviour. When one considers the media and where they stand and what they stand for, it is no surprise to find they are even better represented than the politicians when it comes to bad taste, lack of moral fibre and sanctomony as Miachael quite rightly pointed out about Gratten.
Give Justice To Us Victims And That The State take note Of Us Victims Who have Taken Our cases To The Courts For Justice But Were denide justice Have Us On The Top Of Their List To say sorry To And Give justice To Us as Of All The Victims
The Courts Of New South Wales Have Been Covering Up For The State Of New South Wales For Far To Long And Need To Be Held Accountable For Us Victims Who they have Thrown out The Court cases In Favour of The State
My Hope Of A High Court Appeal Are Over As No lawyer had The Guts To Take On This New South Wales Goverment, And I Stand By What Happend To Me At daruk Boys Home By The Said 2 Pedophiles Of That Institution Who Worked For The State Boys Home Daruk
I My Self Have Not The Abilty To Formulate The Documents For A High Court Case Of Which The Judge Would Proberly Still Cover Up For The State Anyway So For Ten Years Fighting For Justice The Right Way by The Law And Still Get Raped And Abused All Over Again, And The state lawyers Just Laugh In Your Face ,Because You Are A No One Today The 4th Of December 2008 Was The Last day To Lodge the Appeal To The High Court so because Of My Interlectual Ability I had no Hope Of having Any Documents drawn Up Fot An Appeal Verbally Yes i would And Could Put My case Forward But They Do Not Allow That
Im Sorry For All The Other Victims Out Their As I Know My case Was A Win Case But The Courts Have Coverd Up For The Stae Of New South Wales, Once Again And They Will Continue To Do This As Their Is a Lot Of cases Pending In The Sydney Supreme Court For The Same Claims I Took Before The Courts, If Those going before The Courts And Win i Congradulate You As For Me Im Down a Home A Car And Just Surving My Faimly And Children And Grand Children Are My Suport And Freinds ,
And The Shamles Thing Is The attorney General Was Asked personally By Me via mail And Email And Phone To Help Take This case To The High Court yet has Done Nothing That I Am Aware Of as They have
The old school (read old media fogies) Susan Ryan and Stephen ODoherty of Lab/Lib Parties join the rival media chorus this morning but on the weekend we have:
Barry Cassidy on last Insiders for the year yesterday said words to the effect of ‘there was no problem with him taking a photo’ it was trying to sell it that was problematic. Annabel Crabb Sydney Morning Herald in her weekend column effectively said it was inconsistent of Big Media to criticise the sale of photographs of people’s suffering. This echoes Brissenden on ABC TV 7.30 last Thursday refused to go further than to say it was “controversial”.
(Lets hope like Menzies in London more MPs take real time news footage to keep the public better informed.)
Dave Liberts - this is the website I looked at and was shocked that Tony Abbott said he was a novice. Am I wrong…or is the ABC?
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/mp-profiles/daws.htm
An MP takes a photo of a protester and it is used by a newspaper. The message of the protester is lost in the beat up about the MP.
What was the man protesting about? What drove him to such lengths that he tried to set himself alight outside parliament?
The story that the MP has committed some heinous transgression smacks of spin and media management.
Perhaps the MP’s biggest sin was that he excluded Fairfax . Or, was it because he circumvented the middleman in the modern ‘news’ cycle — the public relations / media professionals. So PR flexed its mighty muscles and the MP copped it.
What tickles me is Crikey’s journos scratching around …for someone else to blame …for Bidgood’s unsavoury actions.
Poor MP Bidgood.
Well done Margaret.
Your pivotal statement
“Is it okay for newspapers to try and cater for voyeurs, but not okay for citizens — or MPs at any rate — to cater to them?”
circumscribes the subject completely and your lament
“And what about some reporting of the cause of the protest?”
Is worthy of all decent people to adopt.
It’s not illegal. It’s not unethical. It’s not immoral.
The protester sought it.
The media constantly asks us to submit our photos.
Is there a list of people that are not allowed to submit their photos?
It is typical of the comassionless ALP that Bidgood saw thisevent as a way to make money, although Rudd obviously was appalled by Bidgood’s actions and told him so. Typical also of the Daily Telegraph to treat this as a major news item with little regard for the pain and anguish involved. Having said that, Bidgood’s photo as published in the Daily Telegraph was a powerful portrayal of the consequences of our current immigration system, and our mental health system, that should shame all Australians. Is this what you have to do to get adequate mental health treatment in this country?
My original reaction to this story was that Bidgood’s actions were a bit distasteful, but the more I think about it the less I feel he’s done wrong. It anyone other than an MP had taken the photo, it would be no story at all.
I guess Bidgood’s error was to forget that politicians need to be seen to be steering clear of anything which is regarded as distasteful (which could clearly mean just about anything to anyone) unless they are seeking to make a specific political point. (eg a politician should not be commenting on, say, legalising prostitution except in the context of a political discussion on this point, or they run the risk of being accused of being a big fan of the prostitution industry which would in most cases cost them votes.) Bidgood was in no-MP’s-land - he put himself in a position where his sense of taste was brought into question while he was not seeking to make a political point.
Not so fast Jenny. The MP lacks real politik judgement would be my guess as a “novice” but the question is here did he lack moral judgement? I am totally unconvinced as a 15 year non profit campaigner for community media. I say it was a duty for him to take those pictures. That was the point of the protest. You admit yourself it got the story up and frankly I will be VERY surprised if the Aminov Family are not sorted within a month now.
He got beaten up by the ALP machine running scared of adverse coverage from one sector of the media running tattle tail to the PM’s office over the “money” who panicked and forced a grovel statement. That is a media sector who got shut out of access to the image. They took revenge. If he’d shared it equally and even required a donation to charity by all of them none of this would have blown up in my guesstimation.
Last evening the aggrieved sector of the Big Media Chris Uhlmann, despite Walkley has a good streak of sanctimony ex seminarian/ACT independent candidate, on abc tv prime time news went the biff again: Tones dripping with condemnation ‘for taking a photo’, as if. Karen Middleton of SBS similarly went the biff about ‘taking a picture’. Censorship? Right to know? They used his grovel statement as moral ‘proof’ but it isn’t. Levered early MP doorstops gulled by rival press. It’s proof of real politik censorship from his own boss/media rivals.
The biff was compounded as Kerry/7.30 rightly noted ‘a video has turned up’ further embarrassing Bidgood from Oct - there’s the proof. A video irrelevant to ‘the photo’, cheap emotional violence, ironically good votes in the evangelical bible quoting Qld North (forget SE Oz comfort zone). And notice Uhlmann’s Catholic rivalry.
Wiser heads like Annabelle Crabb stood off Bidgood on cross to Richard Glover abc 702 4.45pm, and Brissenden on 7.30 said he was “controversial” to take the pic. It’s all about Big Media turf protection! Did the commercials cover it on 9,10, 7? I wonder.
I’m not buying into the issue, but Jenny has drawn from a muddled profile on the ABC Q and A site which has implied that Bidgood is/was the Member for Adelaide as well as winning Dawson. According to the Q and A website, he won Adelaide in 2004 and 2007. Jenny’s inferred that he has come from SA State politics. However, this botched reference clearly alludes to the Federal seat of Adelaide, so it obviously means that Bidgood’s profile has been conflated with that of Kate Ellis. It looks like some careless cutting and pasting at abc.net.au.
Bidgood and Kate Ellis the same person, truly something to ponder!
What’s Bidgood’s nominated charity and which organisation is comfortable about profiting from the proceeds of suffering? Bidgood, News Limited and Kevin Rudd don’t wash - nor does the mouthy member for Warringah who says Bidgood’s a newcomer and needs some leeway! The MP for Dawson lobbed in the federal parliament after serving two terms in the SA State Parliament and several years membership of the British Labour Party. I bet Bidgood is blessing the Opposition for its draconian stance on asylum seekers as Rudd saves himself a bi-election.
It must be the website’s error Jenny - elections in SA were held in 2002 and 2006, not 2004 and 2007. The Member for Adelaide in State Parliament has been Hon Dr Jane Lomax-Smith MP since 2002. I should know - I was her electorate officer for over a year!
… and then there was the poltiical cartoonists on the tv the other day with their exhibition of superb works - http://www.nma.gov.au/media/media_releases_index/political_cartooning_exhibition_wraps_up_2008/
Guess what - first prize is $1,000
http://www.nma.gov.au/media/media_releases_index/political_cartooning_exhibition_wraps_up_2008/
Conclusion: Anyone can create an image and profit from it, cash or in kind (often worth alot more in career terms). Some even do it while moonlighting.
In 1963 Malcolm Browne took this photo http://www.worldsfamousphotos.com/burning-monk-the-self-immolation-1963.html . It shows a Buddhist monk who set himself alight to protest religious intolerance by the Diem regime. This photo won photo of the year, and a Pulitzer prize. It must have affected me as I remember it from my childhood.
I am not classing Mr Bidgood’s photo in the same league, but the fundamental newsworthiness and importance of the Australian protesters action differs only in degree. I am also reminded of a _Frontline_ episode when, having lost a bidding war, Rob Sitch tut tutted the winning channel on showing the story.
Would we be having this debate if a News staff photographer had snapped the picture?
My last word on this I swear - the cops were there obviously doing the security as per their expertise. For Joe Hockey or anyone (like those dunces Cato and Timbo on spindoctors abc sydney this morning) to say the MP shouldn’t record a serious political statement/action is just bizarre. That would really be wrong. That would be an attempt to censor the MP’s free speech via his photo image. In the USA they would be howling about PM’s Office trying to breach the constitutional rights of his MP.
It’s only a matter of charging for the image and who benefits and he’s answered that - just like gifts declared and donated to the local orphanage. Talk about silly season kicking in on cue.
In fact only recently the Big Media in their maddening hypocrisy praised the “beautiful” snapshots taken by a bevvy of MP’s from Bob Brown/Greens to the MP for Wannon David Hawker (which covers my old home town of Warrnambool). Some pics good, some pics bad? What a load of nonsense. We are all media practitioners now - get used to it Big Media and show due respect while you’re at it.
They really get my goat with their holier than thou exclusive role and airs and graces. Too dumb to do law or medicine more like it:
“Pollies on other side of the camera” Sydney Sun Herald, Kerry-Anne Walsh
November 16, 2008
http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/pollies-on-other-side-of-camera/
2008/11/15/1226318995289.html
The parents have been here on bridging visas for 11 years without rights of any kind. They understandably would like some security. But according to Evans yesterday they must wait in the queue which has 19,000 people on it and only 2,000 accepted each year.
These morons carry on as if the f………g migration act was a decree sent down from Mount Olympus and set in stone never to be disturbed.
I would have thought they had learnt something after Kayani self-immolated for the same reasons.
Time to sack that paranoid freak Andrew Metcalfe and half his rotten paranoid staff.
As for the photos, crass to take them and not offer any help I would have thought. Surely that is the crime.
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And Hello To Our Fellow Members Here On O.L.O, Those Of Us Whome Are Forgotten Australians And To Those Who are Not
If Our Country Is To Be A County The Way It Should Be
This Would Mean That The State Goverment Of New South Wales Should Stand Up For Us Victims,That were Raped And Abused In These State Institutions, that Were Under The Control Of The Goverment Of New South Wales And That Of Other States Of Australia ,
The New South Wales Sate Goverment Still To This Day Cover Up The Rapes And Rapes We Victims Sufferd While We Were Been made Their Slaves While Under State care
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I Know This From Experince i Had been Fighting For Justice For Over Ten Years in The New South Wales Court System Brown V State of New South Wales
This Case Was Lost In favour Of The State Of New South Wales Even When They Stipulated In The Court Room In Front Of The Judges That The record Log Books had Been destroyed Or Misplacsed Or Lost Excusion Books And misconduct Records The Stae Still Got away With This In The Court House So How are we Victims To get Justice Even When they say These documents have been destroyed Or Lost , and The Victim had never Ever been aware That these documents could Never Be Found , Yet The Courts Still Protected The State Crown Lawyers in This Court case And left The Victim been raped All Over Again
I Can Only Hope That The State Of New South Wales Will Give Justice To Us Victims Of This State New South Wales, And When They Do , Give Justice To Us Victims And That The State take note Of Us Victims
Thursday 4 December 2008
New border protection agency must service human rights
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young says the Government’s new Australian
Customs and Border Protection Service must treat compassionately and
humanely people who arrive by boat to seek asylum in Australia.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced the formation of the new agency
today, a day after a boat of 35 suspected asylum seekers was intercepted
off the Western Australian coast and escorted to Christmas Island for
detention.
“What kind of service will this new agency be offering to those who need
our assistance and protection?” asked Senator Hanson-Young.
“We cannot forget: it is not illegal to seek asylum. It is a right under
international law.”
Senator Hanson-Young said that Australia must learn from the mistakes of
its past immigration policies.
“We have an opportunity to move forward to a more humane, compassionate
approach to the treatment of asylum seekers, and the opportunity to
rebuild Australia’s international reputation,” she said.
“Let’s not allow ourselves to slide back to the dark days of the Howard
and Ruddock immigration regime and all that it brought: Tampa, children
overboard, the reprehensible tragedy of the SIEV-X and more than 200
cases of lawful residents being detained.
“The politics of fear must not cloud our actions on matters of human
rights and justice.”
Senator Hanson-Young expressed concern at the detention on Christmas
Island of those who recently arrived on boat.
“Christmas Island’s detention facilities should be closed, and we should
do away with this ‘out-of-sight, out-of-mind’ attitude towards asylum
seekers who arrive by boat.
“All processing of claims for asylum should be done promptly and fairly
on the Australian mainland, where processes can be overseen and
community support services can be more easily accessed.
“The Greens will be closely monitoring the progress of the detainees on
Christmas Island.”
Media contact: Gemma Clark on ……..
That I Am Aware Of as They have Not Even Been Incontact With Me About Asking For assistants From The attorney General
Even kevin Rudd Our Prime Minister Is wiping His Hands of Us Victims He can If He Had The Guts To Stand Up For Us Victims As He has Been Asked many many Time But Yet Has Not Once Mentioned Us So Much Guts From The Man Thats Running Our Country , He Can Not Even Stand UP To The State Goverments Of Australia To address This Issue
It Must And Has To Be True That new South wales is The Most Corupt State In australia , Thats Why Peter Hollingworth Got Kicked Out Of The Governer Genrals Job And Why Bob Car Changed The Laws , And Why The premiers have left Their Jobs
Nathan Rees Are You Going To continue What The Other Past leaders Of The State Of New South Wales have Done
To Us victims And Continue The Cover UP Like The Past Premiers Have Done
Anyone That Can Help And draw Up The Documents For A High Court Fight get In Contact With Me at , michealjbrown@hotmail.com Im Real And A real Victim The Goverment defintly Does Not Want To Give Justice To
You Imagine Sydney Harbour Bridge Been Blocked By All Us Victims And The Main City , The State Would Be In Melt Down For The Loss Of Income From Every Body They can Not lock Us All Up as They Do Not have The Facilities For 500,000 Thousand Victims Of Which They Would Abuse Us Again Anyway Kind Regrds Huffnpuff 5/12/2008
Michael’s got his moral wires crossed over an MP whose knee-jerk reaction was to snap an obvious and second political protest by a person he knew had previously made a desperate appearance on the floor of parliament. Worse still the dopey MP decides he’s going to profit from the event. And if he thought I’ll make a quid for XYZ Charity what sort of charity would take the payment? It’s called stupid Michael and its not a quality we look for in our MPs.
That I Am Aware Of as They have Not Even Been Incontact With Me About Asking For assistants From The attorney General
Even kevin Rudd Our Prime Minister Is wiping His Hands of Us Victims He can If He Had The Guts To Stand Up For Us Victims As He has Been Asked many many Time But Yet Has Not Once Mentioned Us So Much Guts From The Man Thats Running Our Country , He Can Not Even Stand UP To The State Goverments Of Australia To address This Issue
It Must And Has To Be True That new South wales is The Most Corupt State In australia , Thats Why Peter Hollingworth Got Kicked Out Of The Governer Genrals Job And Why Bob Car Changed The Laws , And Why The premiers have left Their Jobs
Nathan Rees Are You Going To continue What The Other Past leaders Of The State Of New South Wales have Done
To Us victims And Continue The Cover UP Like The Past Premiers Have Done
Anyone That Can Help And draw Up The Documents For A High Court Fight get In Contact With Me at , michealjbrown@hotmail.com Im Real And A real Victim The Goverment defintly Does Not Want To Give Justice To
You Imagine Sydney Harbour Bridge Been Blocked By All Us Victims And The Main City , The State Would Be In Melt Down For The Loss Of Income From Every Body They can Not lock Us All Up as They Do Not have The Facilities For 500,000 Thousand Victims Of Which They Would Abuse Us Again Anyway Kind Regrds Huffnpuff 5/12/2008
Apologies for offering misleading info - I’m just used to the activities of some very ordinary MPs and assumed he was another with a colourful background.!!