Illinois Senate in media's corner
SPRINGFIELD -- The Illinois Senate overwhelmingly sided with the state's newspaper industry Tuesday in saying high school sports officials cannot dictate what happens with pictures taken at annual championship tournaments.
"An organization saying the media can't come into a public event is wrong," said state Sen. James DeLeo, a Chicago Democrat sponsoring the proposed law.
The proposal, which says the Illinois High School Authority cannot restrict the use of pictures taken at its events, was approved 47-5 and now goes to the Illinois House where an identical proposal is pending.
Many supporters said they feared the IHSA was trying to monopolize pictures of high school athletes. The organization, which is not a state agency, has hired a company to take officially sanctioned pictures from the championship tournaments, with those pictures then being available for purchase.
But a conflict emerged at the high school football championships last year when the IHSA barred news photographers from the sidelines if they wouldn't sign an agreement saying they and the papers they work for would not sell any of the images from the games.
Those who refused, including Daily Herald photographers, were relegated to the stands or press box to take pictures. The IHSA relaxed its policy for subsequent championships as a legal battle is pending in court and a political one at the Capitol.
Lawmakers, some of whom often find themselves in the media's harsh spotlight, voted for the plan and suggested reporters pay attention to who was supporting their issue.
"I'm certainly not a shill for the media," said state Rep. Rickey Hendon, a Chicago Democrat.
Despite the overwhelming vote, some lawmakers said the majority was jumping too fast to help the media and not fully exploring the issue.
"This is about money," said state Sen. Brad Burzynski, a DeKalb-area Republican. "The issue is who has a right to sell those photos for a profit."
State Sen. Ed Maloney, a Chicago Democrat, said the situation was no different than the Cubs being able to charge rooftop viewers for the right to watch games.
The University of Illinois also recently registered its formal opposition to the proposal, fearing the law could ultimately infringe on its policies that similarly restrict how photographers can use images from Illini games -- restrictions the media have agreed to for years.
Of the five lawmakers voting against the proposal, two represent suburban districts -- McHenry Republican Pamela Althoff and Elgin Democrat Michael Noland. All other suburban lawmakers voted for the proposal.