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View Full Version : GOP guidelines issued for dealing with videographers



MNeagle
18th June 2010, 01:44 PM
It seems like common sense, but with recent videotaped confrontations embarrassing public figures, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has issued guidelines for how lawmakers (and staffers) can avoid getting the sort of viral media attention that no politician wants.

The memo by the committee's chief counsel — obtained by Politico reporter Shira Toeplitz — reminds Senate GOPers that it's a bad idea to "insult or threaten" or "physically touch" a videographer.

To drive the point home, counsel Sean Cairncross reminds his readers of two recent, high-profile Democratic altercations: Rep. Bob Etheridge's confrontation last week with a self-identified student, and the ejection of a videographer from an event for U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias of Illinois. The Giannoulias video was posted to YouTube on Thursday:

(video at link)

Cairncross cited the Giannoulias incident as an example of how not to act when confronted by an unwelcome videographer. He noted that the altercation "has created potential legal liability for both the individuals involved and the Giannoulias campaign." A Giannoulias campaign spokeswoman told Politico that the people who confronted the videographer were guests at the event.

The GOP memo states that "so long as a videographer is on public property and not actively disrupting an event," the videographer has the right to keep recording.

On Monday, Etheridge issued a public apology for the altercation, adding that he wanted to personally extend his apology to the men involved. The men still haven't been identified.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100618/pl_ynews/ynews_pl2705