Stealing photos
Letter to the Hoot: He eventually sent me a bogus"apology" in which he claimed not to have known that I was the photographer.
MUKUL DUBE on the use of pictures without acknowledgement
On 28 September 2012 I took photographs at a “public hearing on fabricated cases” at the Constitution Club, New Delhi. Soon I found that the Madhyamam newspaper of Kozhikode had used one of the photographs in its Malayalam web edition.
It turned out that a correspondent of the paper, Haris Abubacker, had lifted the photograph from Facebook. He eventually sent me a bogus “apology” in which he claimed not to have known that I was the photographer. This was patently a lie, as my name appears with the photograph wherever that appears. And, after all, someone human must have taken the photograph that the man lifted.
The general manager of Madhyamam, M.A. Rahim, had said in his email message of 29 September, “I will rever (sic) to you shortly on this”. He never did “rever”. What is worse, even two weeks later I have not been credited for the photograph.
On 10 October I took photographs at the Jamia Millia Islamia when survivors of Naroda Patiya and the Gulberg Society spoke of their experiences. That evening I was told that Mohammad Raza Faraz, correspondent of Inquilab (Urdu), wanted the photographs; and soon this man himself telephoned me. I sent him what he asked for and one photograph was used the next day. The credit said “Photo: Inquilab”, with no mention being made of me.
When I questioned Faraz, he said that I had been named later on the page. Soon I was informed that I had indeed been named: in the text Faraz had written that I had said certain things at the meeting. He put actual words into my mouth. The fact is that I did not speak that day. A plain lie.
When I challenged Faraz, he said that Dr. Manisha Sethi of JTSA, which had organised of the affair, had told him that I should be “promoted”. What she had in fact said was that I should be named if any of my photographs was used. This business of promoting people, through outright lies if needed, is one of the fouler
sides of journalism.
I have no idea if Madhyamam will pay me. With Inquilab too, I do not know if I shall be paid. I had specifically spoken of the matter to Faraz, but he said nothing about it.
Mukul Dube
October 12,2012
D-504 Anand Lok (Purvasha) Apartments
Mayur Vihar 1
Delhi 110091
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