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As if NYC doesn't have enough to worry about ...

If you want to take a picture or shoot video in New York City, you might have to travel solo and make it awfully darned snappy.
Check out this New York Times story about new rules being considered by the Mayor's Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting.
According to the Times: "...Any group of two or more people who want to use a camera in a single public location for more than a half hour to (would be required to) get a city permit and insurance.
"The same requirements would apply to any group of five or more people who plan to use a tripod in a public location for more than 10 minutes, including the time it takes to set up the equipment."
The paper also reports that while the proposal is not meant to affect tourists and amateur photographers and videographers, its language is so vague that that very well could become the case.
Journalism advocates are also rightly worried that these goofy proposed rules will invite more confrontations between journalists and police officers -- and that the rules will be arbitrarily enforced.
Published Saturday, June 30, 2007 11:27 PM by christinetatum
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Comments

# re: As if NYC doesn't have enough to worry about ...

Thursday, July 05, 2007 8:08 PM by John
It's hard enough to get a press pass in New York, especially if you're freelance. Can you imagine if these laws went into effect? I remember when I applied for the pass and I was turned down because I didn't have enough "experience" reporting in New York. Can I help it if my first assignment is the transit strike? Can I help it if it requires me to be a journalist on the subways, which is against the law without the pass? Let alone the PIO detective had her hands so full she barely said 1 word to be (that word being "no")
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