Amateur photographers barred from snapping near World Trade Center site

By The Associated Press,
freedomforum.org staff

09.27.01

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People who gather near the wreckage of New York's World Trade Center have been banned from taking photographs or video of the scene.

A statement from Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's office Sept. 25 said the ban was issued because the site is a crime scene. Officer Michael DiFrancisco, standing guard at a barricade, said the photo ban also was "out of respect for the families and all those concerned."

Mayoral spokeswoman Sunny Mindel said yesterday that the ban doesn't affect press photographers.

"It doesn't affect anybody who is authorized. Obviously, a news organization, that's their job," she said. "What we've got is people on the site taking pictures, selling them, using it as a tourist site."

Despite that exception, several news photographers were turned away from the area yesterday by police. News organizations were working with authorities, who had promised to try to make sure that police at the site were clear on the policy.

Small signs were posted around the disaster site late on Sept. 25 warning passers-by that they risk prosecution for a Class B misdemeanor if they take pictures or violate any of the order's other provisions, which include bans on pedestrian or vehicular traffic or occupancy of buildings within site boundaries.

Amateur photographers outside the barricades are not prohibited from shooting pictures of the wreckage. But Giuliani suggested that others at the scene "might want to tell somebody if they're trying outside to take pictures inside that they're something less than a human being."

More than 6,300 people are missing and feared dead in the wreckage. Since the day after the Sept. 11 attack, no survivors have been pulled out.

Bill Homan, standing two blocks from the twisted metal and concrete, said he was going to take pictures anyway.

"That's a phenomenal picture," said Homan, 27, a Staten Island history teacher. "In 20 years I could say, 'Yes, I've seen that. I have pictures from that day.'"

There were no reports of seized equipment as of yesterday afternoon, police spokeswoman Sgt. Marian Messina said.

Meanwhile, the White House press secretary yesterday scolded the host of "Politically Incorrect" for calling some past U.S. military actions cowardly.

The host, Bill Maher, said on his show last week: "We have been the cowards lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly."

Then, referring to terrorists who hijacked four jetliners and crashed them Sept. 11, Maher said: "Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it's not cowardly."

Maher later apologized "to anyone who took it wrong," and said his comments were aimed at political leaders.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said he remained troubled by the remark.

"It's a terrible thing to say, and it's unfortunate," Fleischer said. "There are reminders to all Americans that they need to watch what they say, watch what they do, and this is not a time for remarks like that; there never is."

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