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May 13, 2009, 8:30 a.m.

Citizen journalism: Who controls it?

A cautionary tale with great photos: the story of Stephen Mallon and his exclusive up-close images of the salvage of Flight 1549 from the icy Hudson River.

Photo by Stephen Mallon

Photo by Stephen Mallon

The caution comes from the fact that, in this era of shrinking independent news operations, the right to publish some journalism could be threatened, depending on who paid for it:

A lawyer for US Airways and its insurer A.I.G. told Mallon to remove the photos once again, arguing that the airline and insurer were Mallon’s ultimate clients… “US Airways hired AIG who hired the lawyer who hired [lead contractor] Soper and Son who hired Weeks Marine who hired me.”

POSTED     May 13, 2009, 8:30 a.m.
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