Criminal record worth the shot?

Some photographers will do anything to get "the shot" even if it means getting arrested.

Like recently during protests in Hong Kong an American Pulitzer prize finalist Paula Bronstein (freelancer for Getty):

 

Apparently this woman (Paula Bronstein) jumped onto the bonnet of a car because she felt "physically threatened". Which sounds like utter BS to me.  Why aren't there a bunch more people clamouring to safety and why (if she's in so much danger) is she standing there casually taking photos?


Anyway, she got arrested (after refusing many times police requests to get off the car), she was charged because the driver wanted to press charges, but has been since released on some sort of bond or something, but the driver is seeking compensation.

 

The FCCHK (Foreign Correspondents' Club of Hong Kong) released this statement: 



According to the  SCMP (South China Morning Post):
The club received about a dozen responses to the statement yesterday, several criticising it. One critic said: "It seems that you are condoning Ms Bronstein's illegal acts and are apparently advocating that journalists should be above the law. However, they are not."

I'd agree with this personally, if you're going to break the law, you should get arrested.

Maybe it's the fact that (for some unknown reason) the government is allowing people to illegally block the streets without getting arrested that made this woman think she could break the law like this?

What do you all think?  Does being an award winning photographer (or say, a getty/nat geo photographer) give you the right to break laws?  Does "press freedom" trump the laws of the land?  Should reporters be able to disobey police orders?

Not unless that shot is worth big bucks.  Now were they asking her to get off the car in English?  

One word: arrogance.

No, No, and No.

If she had jumped on my car, she could have been hospitalized. So China (haha) isn't so different from crazy America after all?.....

I would have been outraged myself.  Talk about "Who do you think you are" 

The "value" of the shot is irrelevant. I love conflation.

She knew better than to abuse someone else's property. She knew better than to argue with / disobey the officers. This was not her first rodeo.

Photographers are not above the law, just as police officers are not, etc. The FCCHK should be ashamed of itself for defending her poor choice. And a photographer's right to cover a story has nothing to do with obeying an officer of the law. Way to conflate and obfuscate.

Hassner wrote: One word: arrogance.

Exactly!
Just another person who due to the fact they won the prize think they are above the rules. I am glad to see we all agree on this one. It is bad enough that you can get harassed by the authorities for merely shooting a photo in some places. Actions such as this do nothing but tarnish the rest of us who merely love to capture images. I hope she gets jail time, and sued blind for damaging that persons property.

Ryan Obryan wrote: Not unless that shot is worth big bucks.  Now were they asking her to get off the car in English?  

Hong Kong's official languages are Cantonese and Hong Kong (and kinda Mandarin Chinese).  I'm sure they used English for her.

Joves wrote:

Hassner wrote: One word: arrogance.

Exactly!
Just another person who due to the fact they won the prize think they are above the rules. I am glad to see we all agree on this one. It is bad enough that you can get harassed by the authorities for merely shooting a photo in some places. Actions such as this do nothing but tarnish the rest of us who merely love to capture images. I hope she gets jail time, and sued blind for damaging that persons property.

She's paying compensation but seems reluctant to do so. As for charges... unfortunately nope...

Earlier yesterday, prosecutors in Kwun Tong Court decided not to press charges against Bronstein for allegedly damaging the car, which belonged to financial analyst Tammie Tam.
Principal Magistrate Ernest Lin Kam-hung allowed Bronstein to be bound over with HK$2,000 for two years, meaning if she did not commit any crime in Hong Kong, she would not have to pay. The ruling came after the parties agreed undisclosed compensation and an apology.  - SCMP 


www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1656...-car-bonnet?page=all

She's paying something to Tammie (a man by the way... HK people pick their own names... I've seen many weird names) and $2000HKD is only about $250USD so that's nothing to this woman I'm sure.

Pretentious people walk among us.  Anyone who thinks they are above the law, above common sense, or above the position to respect other peoples property, deserve what they have coming.  

  Annoying too!