23 download official logos from Twitter or Instagram or print a screenshot of their sites . That student could probably not , however , legally publish an image of someone ’ s Pinterest page filled with copyrighted images . If an individual producer of entertainment or products has its own Instagram or Pinterest site , using a photo belonging to them in a story would , however , be legal .
23 download official logos from Twitter or Instagram or print a screenshot of their sites . That student could probably not , however , legally publish an image of someone ’ s Pinterest page filled with copyrighted images . If an individual producer of entertainment or products has its own Instagram or Pinterest site , using a photo belonging to them in a story would , however , be legal .
While a student writing about a school shooting could probably visit the school ’ s own website and download a photo of the school from that site ( something my students have done ), she could definitely not borrow a photo from WashingtonPost . com of students fleeing from the shooting without getting permission from the copyright owner , either the Post or a third party , like the Associated Press .
The crucial things to remember are that , to be legally available for fair use , an image must be : directly illustrative of the thing you are reviewing or commenting on in print ; it must be downloaded directly from the source , which must be a subject of the article and the owner of the copyright ; and it must be accompanied by a note that acknowledges the owner of the copyright .
Fair use will never allow students to legally download news photos or other material that legally belongs to other professional publications . It can , however , allow them to legally illustrate reviews and other features about entertainment and public figures who make their images available over the internet .
( For more information on “ Fair Use ” and other copyright issues , visit the Student Press Law Center ’ s excellent legal resources at http :// www . splc . org / page / knowledgebase .)
ON GETTING PERMISSION TO USE OTHER PHOTOS
• Photos created by employees of the federal government as part of their jobs are not copyrighted . They belong to the citizens of our nation . The White House Press Office can be a great source of photos when writing about national issues . Virtually every senator and congressperson publishes photos of their work , and you can use them to illustrate your students ’ work .
• State governments similarly can be a great source of news photos . Most governors have a press office that photographs them signing bills , speaking in public , etc . Check with their press offices to see if these photos are available . Most are .
• While major national publications like The New York Times or CBS News can be difficult to reach for permission to use news photos , your local news sources may be much more accessible . Do the work . Don ’ t email a generic site address for permission , search deep through websites to find the name of a managing editor or producer and write that person for permission . This has been very effective for our publication .
• It may be because they have a greater sense of public mission than commercial producers of news , but we have found that sites run by local National Public Radio stations can be great sources of news photos and are much more accessible . When a news story happens in a specific city , we have had very good luck contacting local NPR station producers for permission to use locally created photos on their websites . This has become our first go-to to find out-of-town news photos .