NAPA support for Solent in action against PA

The National Association of Press Agencies (NAPA) has written to Jonathan Grun, Editor of the Press Association, to protest strongly over it distributing a story which was written by a NAPA member agency.

Meanwhile, the agency, Solent News and Photo, is consulting lawyers with a view to taking legal action against PA for breach of copyright.

On December 28 the agency carried out an exclusive interview with David Yeates, father of murdered Jo Yeates, at his home in Hampshire. The agency distributed the story on that day to a number of selected publications including the Southern Daily Echo, with whom they have a close relationship.

Shortly after they had filed, its staff noticed that it was being reproduced, word for word, on the Daily Mirror website. The story featured each and every one of the agency quotes, but said Mr Yeates had 'told the Southern Daily Echo.'

David Holt of Solent said: "This wasn't a case of someone 'nicking a couple of grab quotes'. It was a wholesale lift - they had filed 237 words, the Mirror piece was 241 words long. Once you removed the phrase 'told the Southern Daily Echo,' there was a single word of difference between the two."

He discovered the piece had been sent out by the Press Association, under the by-line Rod Minchin.

Solent telephoned PA and spoke to news editor Beverley Rouse. During their first conversation they explained that Mr Yeates had not told the Southern Daily Echo anything. He had in fact spoken to Solent and the material on the Echo website was copyright of Solent.

They asked PA to recall the story, as it did not belong to them and was in breach of their copyright.

The agency said Ms Rouse told them she would call back, which she did 10 minutes later. The first thing she said was 'my editor says there is no copyright on news.'

David Holt of Solent said: "This was a fatuous argument. Of course, there is no copyright restraint on following up news stories - but original work, which being an exclusive interview this clearly was, is covered absolutely by the Copyright Act. There are no grey areas."

Solent again asked Ms Rouse to recall the story, as it belonged to them. She said: "What we're prepared to do is attribute the quotes to you."

Solent said they were still unhappy and wanted the story withdrawn.

They asked Ms Rouse how she had obtained the interview and she replied, "We saw it on Sky and we went looking for it. We found it on the Southern Daily Echo website and we put it out."

David Holt of Solent said: "It appears quite extraordinary that PA would continue to steal the interview but they would now tell everyone where they had stolen it from.

"So that's how journalism works for PA, the national press agency.

"This is how journalism works for Solent: Since Ms Yeates went missing we have had a team of reporters working on the story every day.

"It has been difficult to cover; terribly moving and upsetting. Four of our staff have had first-hand contact with Mr and Mrs Yeates over the past week.

"They worked right through Christmas and our reporters were visibly upset when news came through that a body had been found.

"So to find our original work running, without license, on numerous newspaper websites as far afield as Lancashire and Belfast, was galling. The Press Association charge a subscription rate to these newspapers, so have simply sold the work without permission."

Solent's lawyers are writing to PA asking for payment for the copy and damages for the breach of copyright on the grounds they did not have permission to publish Solent's content content and yet still went ahead despite numerous requests to recall the story.

In a formal letter of protest to Jonathan Grun, Editor of the Press Association, NAPA Treasurer Chris Johnson said: "A complaint has been raised by a member of the National Association of Press Agencies that calls into question the integrity of Press Association in its dealings with freelance journalists in the UK.

"I need hardly remind you that the days when the network of freelances in the UK enjoyed a healthy working relationship with PA are a fading memory.

"However, the case in point appears to mark a new low in the operation of PA and it is for this reason that I am writing to register a protest in the strongest possible terms on behalf of NAPA and its members.

"I have every reason to believe that the facts reported to NAPA by Solent News and Photo Agency are correct and since that is the case, I trust that you will offer an apology from Press Association and assurances that this was an aberration that will not be repeated."

Shortly after NAPA had sent its letter to PA, Solent highlighted the same thing had been repeated.

On December 30 Solent filed another exclusive interview with the parents of Jo Yeates. commenting mainly on the arrest of suspect Chris Jefferies.

Again it was posted on the Southern Evening Echo's website and again within minutes it was being reproduced in its entirety by PA.