Commentary on Daily Kos on the power of a news camera in covering conflict, using a John Kudelka political cartoon from 2004 to talk about journalists covering Ferguson and and other hot spots right now.
Most reporters don’t head into such dangerous zones in their daily coverage of local government. And most don’t carry the shoulder cameras. But probably all now have the ability to shoot video and photos, even if not trained as a photojournalist. That’s sunshine multiplied.
In police situations, video from law enforcement’s own cameras, such as dash cams, are public record and can be equally important in transparency.
In Tennessee, journalists, citizens and government officials should continue to watch for unlawful camera bans in public meetings, such as the one adopted earlier this year by a county school board. The ban was later lifted after attention to the policy, and both citizen and media objection.
