Not again!!!!

by mouthy 16 Replies latest watchtower scandals

• 

  Jringe01

  OMG!!!....It's obvious you people know nothing about the publishing business.

  If a photograph is taken by someone in the course of their duties by any sort of government agency by law it becomes the property of the organization employing you. Since the WT has only had the technology for colour pics for 20 years give or take they don't have a pile of their own stock footage, they have to use others.

  Do you people even realize how much stock footage there is out there?????? How much time it takes to look over hundreds of pics and select the ones you like or that help to convey your message? So they picked two that were published by the Nvay/UN, big deal. Do you realize how many people publish photographs from these two sources, including those hostile to these two sources?

  What the WT did is no different that citing the author of a quote. It is actually responsible journalism to cite your sources so they can be verified. There is no conspiricy, it's just stock footage.

  What would any of you do if you took a photo, put it on lets say Wikipedia, released it for public usage and the WT years down the road come across it and used it and cited the author? You are making a mountain out of a molehill.

  By the way the WT has been using photos from these sources since they started using colour pics and from other media as well and you are just now cluing in?????? Oh come ON people, please let this thread die.
• 

  parakeet

  Jringe01: "It is actually responsible journalism to cite your sources so they can be verified."
  
  If this is responsible journalism on the part of the WTS, it's just about the first example I've ever seen. They normally don't cite ANY of their sources. Blondie discovered in a recent WT the source of an unattributed quotation from a "reference" work: an online Christian sermon site!!!!
  
  If the WT attributed the photo to the UN, they must have had a particular reason for doing so.
• 

  Jringe01

  I seem to recall several WT works that cite their sources for photos and quotes including the Reasoning book, "What is the purpose of life?" brochure pages 17 and 18 for photo credits and numerous sources cited for quotes

  What happens to us when we die?(inside cover); Does God really care about us?(pg 13); The JW history book, etc, etc, etc

  Of cource they cite sources, your statement that they don't cite "...ANY of their sources" is untrue.

  Their reason for citing the UN as a source..that's who the author is
• 

  carla

  Photo's (same for artwork, even art on bar napkins) taken by anyone are copyrighted by the individual who took the pic unless it is considered work for hire, then the employer holds the copyright if that is how the employment contract worked. Each photographer can make their own deal. You still have to pay for stock photography. The fact that the wt is using military anything sounds typical hypocritical wt. Why would they go to Satan for photo's they can get elsewhere?

  (children's artwork is questionable but the copyright should still hold, I know of art teachers that have stolen artwork produced by students. If a student went on to become a famous artist and the teacher printed the artwork, the student/artist would have legal grounds to sue) Usually a cease & desist is issued first in unauthorized printing of artwork, which photograpy is considered (artwork). Printers are not immune from legal responsiblity either. They also can be sued for printing copyrighted material even if they claim they didn't know. Reprinting anyones work is subject to international copyright laws.
• 

  JeffT

  Jringe01, I am a writer, I very well understand the business. The issue is not whether or not they named the source (as they should have). It is the source itself. As you pointed out there are zillions of stock photos. They could have picked something else, and if they had been following the rules they impose on all their members, they would have picked something else. The fact that they chose to use these pictures is interesting to say the least.
• 

  JWdaughter

  Responsible citizens to cite, yes. I wonder how a JW (rank and file) would be treated if they used free things given out by the UN or the Navy. Like recruiting pens, a bag from a conference with UN logos on it(brought to the meeting/KH or something). They would be COUNSELED for such things.

  As an aspiring writer, I would hope that they attribute responsibly at all times, but that hope would soon be disappointed-as noted in earlier posts. The WT org is full of hypocrisy and inflict it on their people regularly. THAT is what folks are taking offence at.

  Shelly
• 

  Sam87

  reminds me of the johnie walker pic that they used for a cover once, how many times have they done this?