August 1, 2009 – Televised remarks made by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano have resulted in an official statement of objection by the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA).
During a Fox News interview which aired in late July, Secretary Napolitano urged citizens to call on authorities “when they see something unusual, if they see, for example, somebody continually taking photographs of a piece of critical infrastructure that doesn’t seem to make any sense.”
NPPA President Bob Carey chastized Napolitano for stirring up “misguided paranoia” and stated that “[p]hotography by itself should not be considered suspicious activity”.
Carey also called for closer cooperation between the NPPA (and other civil liberties groups) and the Department of Homeland Security “to help develop reasonable and workable policies and practices to help avoid future problems”.
The full statement can be seen online here:
http://nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2009/08/security.html