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CNN cut ties with a freelance photojournalist based in Gaza hours after a photo emerged purportedly showing a top Hamas leader kissing the photographer on the cheek. Freelancer Hassan Eslaiah can be seen in the photo being friendly with Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the October 7 massacre that killed 1,400 Israelis. The photo came to light after HonestReporting, a pro-Israel media watchdog group, published a report Wednesday claiming Eslaiah and other photojournalists were embedded with Hamas terrorists on the day they attacked Israel last month.

An attorney representing Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, Josh Schaffer, has admitted that he pressured the Harris County District Attorney’s office to refocus a grand jury investigation away from his client and onto pro-life journalists David Daleiden and his associate, Sandra Merritt, of the Center for Medical Progress. Schaeffer also confessed that Assistant District Attorney Sunni Mitchell did an “end around” the State Attorney General Ken Paxton in order to share sealed video evidence with Planned Parenthood. The grand jury later returned indictments against Daleiden and Merritt. Shaffer stated publicly that he was informed by the District Attorney’s office that no...

A central Russian gallery has cancelled the opening of an exhibition of World War Two images by US and British photographers, sparking claims that the event was pulled for political reasons. [....] A staff member at the state-run gallery told the BBC that the decision to cancel the exhibition was "political", and said they did not believe it would ever open. They said they had been "ordered" not to comment further. Gallery manager Raisa Zorina had previously dismissed the official explanation of "technical problems", telling local media "this is very serious" and advising them to "read between the lines".

On Friday, city officials in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, informed Donald and Evelyn Knapp, ordained ministers and proprietors of the Hitching Post Wedding Chapel, that they would be required to perform gay weddings or face fines or possibly jail time under the city’s “public accommodations” statute. Their religious views are expected to adjust to the edicts of the state. So it’s official: a new religious orthodoxy is sweeping across the nation, imposed by government and backed by force. It’s a religious orthodoxy required by secular authorities for a secular purpose, but no matter. Heretics will be found out and forced...

LONDON — Tourists better think twice now before snapping pictures of the iconic British bobby. A new British anti-terrorism law went into effect Monday that could effectively bar photographers from taking pictures of police or military personnel _ a move that prompted some 200 photographers to protest outside of Scotland Yard's headquarters. Although the measure aims to prevent terrorists from taking reconnaissance shots, photographers say it could be misused at a whim to stop any pictures from being taken _ especially images involving police abuse and demonstrations. [snip] Marc Vallee, a photographer who specializes in photographing protests and gatherings, said...

UK pop legend Elton John launched an expletive-laden tantrum against the press in Cannes late yesterday while presenting an award to a young actor during the annual film festival. At a ceremony held by luxury jeweller Chopard, everything seemed to be going smoothly enough as John presented the Chopard Trophy to young Canadian actor Kevin Zegers, who co-starred in the film Transamerica with Felicity Huffman. "He (Zegers) is only 21 years old, already he showed incredible talent and maturity," said John, wearing dark glasses and accompanied by actress Elizabeth Hurley. "I sincerely believe he will be a huge star and...

Military Combat PHOTOGRAPHERS!“The assignment... simple. The objective... illusive. The cost... immeasurable. We are the men and women who go through great risks to get the shot. We extraordinary videographers and photojournalists train with the best, operate in the worst and get noticed the least. Our mission is to be there when history happens. Ever notice that photo or video clip in the news, book, or documentary? Well, someone had to be there. Someone had to get the shot. Someone had to tell the story. We are that someone.” Courtesy of U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Aaron Ansarov

A year ago, I blogged about a controversial, Pulitzer Prize-winning photo taken by an unidentified Associated Press stringer in Iraq. More background from the blogosphere here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. Do take the time to re-read them all. The context is important. One member of the Pulitzer-winning AP team was AP stringer Bilal Hussein. Hussein's photos have raised serious, persistent questions about his relationship with terrorists in Iraq and whether his photos were/are staged in collusion with the enemy. I've learned of an intriguing news development that strengthens those lingering suspicions. This afternoon, in response...

ALI BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- Photographers here are proving that a picture is truly worth a thousand words in fighting the war on terrorism. “Our images tell the military story to the American public, our children and their children, and beyond,” said Master Sgt. Maurice Hessel, base multimedia center manager and still photographer. “Military photographers have had a tremendous impact on history and document the horrors of war,” said Sergeant Hessel, who is deployed from McConnell Air Force Base, Kan. “The men and women of the U.S. military are considered heroes in the eyes of most Americans, and I believe...

(Go to original article for highlighted links, eg. MetroBlogging London, and others, etc.) As journalists scrambled to cover the London bomb blasts, ordinary citizens went online to share pictures snapped by cameraphones and reports of what they saw. At Technorati.com, a search engine for blogs, eight of the top 10 searches Thursday were related to the blasts. Here's a round-up of the accounts and photos. Check back throughout the day for updates. The British newspaper The Guardian solicited firsthand accounts of the blasts from those who were there. Responses poured in from people like Matina Zoulia, who wrote, "As I...

For those who might as yet be unaware, a CBS cameraman has been wounded and captured by US forces in Iraq, and is suspected of working for the "insurgency." CBS: In a statement released Friday, CBS News said the man had worked as a freelancer for CBS for three months and that he was videotaping for the network when he was shot. Televised reports indicated the suspect's camera contained at least four different videos of roadside bombings. Robin Burk: It’s beginning to look as if that means that the news networks may in fact not just be reporting the news...

LONDON, England -- Prince Harry was hit in the face by a camera during an overnight scuffle outside a nightclub that left a photographer with a cut lip. The 20-year-old was leaving Pangaea in London's West End early Thursday when photographers attempted to take pictures of him. A spokesman for Clarence House, the office of Harry's father Prince Charles, said the third in line to the throne was defending himself when the incident happened at around 3 a.m. (0200 GMT) "Prince Harry was hit in the face by a camera as photographers crowded around him as.... "In pushing the camera...

Are they vicious foreign terrorists, scheming to blow up New York? Or just a couple of wide-eyed visitors from abroad, snapping sentimental photos of the Statue of Liberty and other tourist cliches? ~~~snip~~~ The issue came up again yesterday, as U.S. officials announced they'd expelled two Iranian security guards. These two gentlemen, unnamed, were working on Third Avenue at the Iranian Mission to the United Nations. They are now back in Tehran. U.S. envoy Stuart Holliday, speaking to the reporters at the UN, picks up the story there: "These individuals were moving around New York City and essentially taking photographs...

MONTEREY, Calif. (AP) - Rex Simpson Hardy, one of Life magazine's first photographers and later a naval pilot during World War II, has died. He was 88. Hardy died of cancer on April 7 in Monterey, Calif., according to his son, Tom. One of a handful of photographers hired by Life magazine in 1936 for its first year of publication, Hardy gained attention for an Aug. 22, 1938 cover photo of Ginger Rogers dancing with Fred Astaire. He went on to photograph many Hollywood stars, including Harpo Marx, James Stewart, Robert Taylor, Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford and Clark Gable. Some...

NEW YORK The New York Times angered hundreds of freelance photographers last week when it distributed a contract some are calling "outrageous," "insulting" and just plain "sad." The contract asks freelance photographers to assign joint copyright ownership to the Times (Click for QuikCap), giving the newspaper the absolute right to exploit the photographs for the life of the copyright and collect all licensing fees, without payment to the photographer. The Times had no previous written agreement with freelancers. Photographers, copyright lawyers and industry trade groups have objected to the new contract, saying it puts the freelancer at a distinct disadvantage....

<p>The Iraq war pushed the number of journalists killed on the job last year to 36, up sharply from the 19 killed in 2002, according to a report by an organization that monitors international press freedom.</p> <p>"It was quite a discouraging year," said Ann Cooper, the director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. But 2003 was considerably better than 1994, the worst in the past decade, when 66 newsmen and women were killed.</p>

Best Domestic News Single Event Photo 2001 judging criteria:A photograph that is unplanned and immediate.An event where the photographer hasn' the time th plan but reacts on instinct, adreline and news judgement.A photoraph taken in the Unted States.