Audacity of Hope

Controversy surrounding the now iconic Obama “Hope” poster arose in January of this year when a blogger uncovered that the photo originally attributed as the basis for the poster, a Reuters photo, was not in fact the image used by artist Shepard Fairey in creating the poster. Rather the picture is of Obama at a 2006 media event to raise awareness for Dafur, taken by Mannie Garcia for the Associated Press. In turn, The A.P. claimed Fairey owed them credit and compensation. Fairey sued The A.P. in February seeking declaratory judgment on the basis that he had the right to use the image under the “fair use” entitlement of copyright law. The A.P. countersued in March saying he misappropriated their image. The story has since been brought to the forefront of national attention as on Oct. 16, Fairey admitted to using The A.P. photo in creating his poster and then destroying evidence to hide that fact.

Associated Press

The “fair use” clause is a slippery slope because there have been a number of cases throughout history that have created a blurred precedence, as detailed by Greg Lastowka in the NPR piece. Fairey is claiming that he used the profit from the sales of the posters only to create more posters, therefore his use of the image was non-commercial and protected under fair use. The other claim is that the his image is transformative. Rather than using the image for strictly news reporting purpose, he is transforming the meaning behind the image to create a political statement.

One has to wonder how much the outcome of the case will truly effect Fairey. If he loses the case, there will  be a redistribution of the profit earned from the image, but Fairey has claimed that he hasn’t made any money from his work. Also, the media attention garnered by this story and the sheer cultural impact of his poster, Fairey has already earned himself a recognized name. This goes a long way in the art world as people will now be seeking out and anticipating future work of his. Obviously he has shot himself in the foot by admitting to destroying the evidence, as his defense team has since withdrawn from his case, but one would have to admit that Fairey’s fifteen minutes of fame is far from over.

progressive republican

Here is a link to a story I did for Amherst Wire on Meghan McCain coming to UMass to deliver her talk entitled “Redefining Republican: No Labels. No Boxes. No Stereotypes”

http://www.amherstwire.com/2009/10/15/meghan-mccain-speaks-at-umass-amherst/

Meghan McCain

Three Story Ideas

Here are three researched story ideas for Monday’s (10/5) class:

1) The Disco Biscuits are playing two concerts this weekend at the Calvin Theatre in Northampton  MA. I happened to be in attendance the last time they played the venue in January and I noticed a heavy cop presence outside the venue. Tuesday after the show I found a Mass Live article stating that there had been 14 arrests for drug violations and nearly a half dozen taken to the hospital for suspected overdosing. There were also reports that police assistance at the Hotel Northampton, across the street from the venue, was needed. For my report, I would like to answer the question as to why the band is being asked back to play the area if their fan base is a cause of so much concern? It would be worth my while to talk to the Northampton police to see how they are gearing up for the shows, the hotels in the area to see if they are taking any precautions for the two nights, and most importantly, someone from the venue (manager, promoter, etc) to get information on why the band had been invited back. Clearly there is a liability that there may be a repeat incidents and I would ask questions about whether the money made from two near sold out performances outweighs any potential risks. The story could be pitched to any number of local area news sources (Gazette, Mass Live) because the people that live in Northampton would have a vested interest in what goes on in their town.

2) Road work has been heavy on campus this semester, notably at the intersection of N. Pleasant St. and Governors Dr. I have heard a lot of people wondering what the purpose of the construction is and have heard speculation from new sidewalks to a rotary. A story on the construction would serve as a informational piece on the work being done. It would be informational to the students as most who live in the North Amherst/Sunderland area are effected by the traffic delays when traveling to and from campus. Ed Blaguszewski, Director of News and Media Relations (413/545-2986), would be a good source, as I have talked to him about stories in the past and he has a grasp on what is happening around campus. It would also be good to ask him when the construction began and why it was not completed over the summer. The story could be pitched to the Collegian for the reasons I stated above.

3) Another story that may be of interest to students is about towing in the area. I lived in the Townhouses last year and Thursday-Saturday nights it is impossible to go outside and not see a bevy of cars being towed out of the parking lot. I know dozens of acquaintances who have had their car towed at the cost of $140, extremely steep price for a college student. And have heard numerous complaints about lack of signs designating guest parking and general lack of guest parking. I have also heard rumors about the tow company, Ernie’s Towing, having ties to the security in the area. I would talk to the people in the office at the Townhouses, someone from Ernie’s, and reach out to students who have had negative encounters with the process. I also know that the Townhouses only issues two free parking passes for each household, problematic for kids that live with three or four people, as each additional pass is $100 for the year. The story could be pitched to the Collegian as it effects students that live in the complex and could act as a warning for students that are considering moving there in the future.