Let’s assume you happen to have your video camera/cell phone video on and were trying to get a nice shot of a bumble bee landing on a flower when suddenly, in the background, IT HAPPENS!
Maybe you accidentally filmed an assassination, or a plane crash, or ship blowing up, or some huge event that is news world wide.
What do you do now?
Do you contact the major TV news networks and start a bidding war to see who wants to pay the most for the video?
Do they come over to your house to see the film on your camera?
Do you contact an attorney to see what your rights are and let them negotiate the best financial deal?
Do you get a copyright?
Do you give the video to the authorities (FBI/CIA/Police) for them to examine first?
What if they keep it and never return it to you?
Do you refuse to sell it for ethical reasons; profiting from someone else’s tragedy?
Do you destroy the film or just put it out there on YouTube for free?
So, what would you do if you captured this momentous, historical event on video and you are the only one who has footage of it?
I’d just upload it onto Youtube, and use my Twitter and Facebook accounts to get it spreading. If it is a really bad tragedy, it’ll spread like wildfire, and I don’t want any profit from that.
Really? My vidclip of a Bigfoot butt-raping Elvis (who while in pretty good shape is still now 76 years old) in the back of a UFO is gonna be really kind of surreal then…
Having worked as a free-lance reporter, I can approach it either as a pure journalist, a working professional, or your average citizen.
Pure journalist: Call up the local TV station that has an affiliation with CNN. They’ll get it out to the world the quickest.
Working professional: Call up the TV station I have the best relationship with, let them have the tape for scale (yes, there are set rates for buying news footage), win an award for Spot News Coverage and use it to get future assignments.
Average citizen: Okay, guys. What’s it worth to you?
Depends, is it an accident, a criminal/illegal act or something very strange and or unique? What would be the impact of releasing the video? What do you want out of it?
Call me paranoid, but the first thing I would do is make a copy. One way would be to upload it to YouTube as a private video. The more valuable the data is, the more important this step would be.
Otherwise, if it becomes “lost,” what recourse do you have?
If it was a plane crash I’d contact the FAA and let them know I had it in case it was of use to them. Similarly, if it was a crime, I’d offer it to whatever authorities were in charge of the investigation.
Depending on the nature of the event, I might sell it to a news organization, but I wouldn’t start a bidding war. I’d probably go with CNN or the BBC.
My first question would be: Would anybody very nasty get angry at me for releasing this video? If no, then yes, I’d call the first the Associated Press and then networks to try to sell it. Altruism is all very well, but the news outlets are going to make fortunes off of this, and I do in fact want my slice.
I would not, however, allow negotiations to go on so long that false reports or family pain were increased by the delay. These folks are going to act quickly or be left in the cold.
I’d probably also only sell the “first release” rights - or however that is stated in their business. I’d sell the right of release for the first three days or so. That way I can be sure that the client isn’t motivated by a wish to suppress the footage. And when I’m 80 years old and Steven Spielberg the 3rd wants to make a movie about the incident, I’ll still be able to give my income another little jolt.
If the answer to question 1 is “yes” then I go to the FBI and request advice.
Actually, truth be told I’d probably post it as a hypothetical here first, to see what ideas you all had. . . :dubious: :eek:
If it’s a crime, I’d report it to the proper authorities.
If it’s neither of the above - say, aliens landing, or a clear image of the Loch Ness Monster, or maybe a politician in a compromising position (not illegal, merely immoral) - bidding war.
I’d probably give it away to one of the US news organisations (but probably not FOX) and then probably be kicking myself later for not asking for any $.
