[Avodah] Halachic Analysis: The Hillary Photo Controversy

[Zev Sero]

On 12/05/2011 4:57 PM, Micha Berger wrote:
> On Thu, May 12, 2011 at 12:17:25PM -0400, Zev Sero wrote:
>> On 12/05/2011 8:12 AM, Prof. Levine wrote:
>>> The Hasidic newspaper itself though should only adjust photos with
>>> permission
>
>> He's wrong about that, because no permission was needed.  It's not
>> copyright, and anyone is free to do with it whatever they like.
>
> The photo came with rights reserved in the form of the text:
>      The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be
>      used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails,
>      products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement
>      of the President, the First Family, or the White House.
>
> So as a matter of metzi'us, I think it is illegal.

No, it isn't.  The White House has no more right to impose such a
restriction than I do.  It's meaningless and of no authority.
A sheker, if you like.


>> From the perspective of midevar sheqer tirchaq, the caption should have
> read something like " ... (Secr. Clinton's image removed from the photo.)"
> To mislead people into thinking this was the actual scene (even if the
> scene was set up for the photo-up) is halachically problematic, no?

Why should it be?  How is anyone harmed by not seeing the whole set-up
photo?  Where do you find a mokor for such a problem?  And why isn't
there just as big a problem with the blurred document?  Why is national
security more important than tznius?



-- 
Zev Sero                      The trouble with socialism is that you
zev at sero.name                 eventually run out of other people’s money
                                                      - Margaret Thatcher