City Notice – India Today Magazine Steals The Delhi Walla’s Photo
Theft in journalism.
[By Mayank Austen Soofi]
It is a great pleasure for The Delhi Walla to be a writer and photographer. But it is very frustrating when a media group steals your work.
The June 16 2014 issue of the country’s biggest selling weekly, India Today, published a photo of Delhi’s St Stephen’s College on page 74. It is a panoramic scene of the college and its students; the magazine displayed the photo in a pathetically small-sized box. I had taken this picture in 2012. It had taken me quite an effort. As a photographer I would have allowed this hard-earned shot to be used in print only as a big spread.
That is just one of the contentions here.
The esteemed magazine did not inform me of its intent to use this picture. It did not credit me. It did not pay me.
On contacting, the magazine mailed me an apology with an assurance of payment that “will be made as per our payment guidelines.”
Is there a separate payment guideline for stolen photos?
This act fails to meet the basic requirements of journalism.
Please don’t steal
1.
2.
The new York Times borrowed one of my photographs – and it really wasn’t a very good one, perhaps it was even slightly out of focus.
I wouldn’t have noticed but for the totally unexpected 13,000 hits on it via my Flickr site.
I really wouldn’t mind if people would ask first – I have given my permission several times ( freely) for photographs to be used in publications.
There – moaning over.
Cheers,
Chris
The Indian media are extremely lazy and unscrupulous and will shamelessly steal from any photo sources.
Hi Mayank
I am surprised to note that reputed magazine India Today has pirated your photo.I had in past many newspapers and Govt advertisement use my photos without permission.You should ask them to pay you compensation and publish your photo giving you due credit.
Ramesh
sad or happy?