Panay News is one of the local dailies that unrelentingly copies photos from the internet and publishes them in their newspaper without asking permission from the photographers, worse not crediting their sources and even cropping out the watermark. They have made the last strike this year by yet again publishing photos taken by bloggers like Enrico D. of Byahilo.com. Eric has already contacted PanayNews but they have simply ignored his emails.
Even photos posted here at ExploreIloilo.com taken by me has suffered the same crime. Multiple times have I seen my photos (even as a front page photo) being posted at Panay News, and at Hublas (their Hiligaynon Daily) without permission and credits, and with cropped out watermarks. I have also seen photos by Bernardo Arellano of Taralets! posted in Panay News and Hublas without permission.
It is disheartening to think that a newspaper based in Iloilo and claiming to be the biggest daily in the Visayas cannot even respect basic journalistic ethics and would resort to copying photos off the internet so that they can publish content in their next issue.
This is something that we should frowned upon because it reflects us, Ilonggos, as a society. Maybe Panay News thinks that we are just bloggers and they are the traditional media. We can be heard too, and collectively, thousand of viewers from all over the globe watch our blogs every day. They better think twice before copying our photos again because we will be posting every incidence our photos come out without our permission.
If you readers sympathize with us bloggers, you can help us spread the word by reposting this message in your blog, or making announcements in friendster, facebook, multiply, twitter, etc. Let’s end this malpractice one and for all!
11 Comments
mga bastos guid sila. haay…
Ever since, Panay News really lacked the CREDIBILITY.
I’m an avid reader of newspapers and it’s their work that’s really SUBSTANDARD.
Dont worry marc, your blog is more powerful. You’ve got a lot of people’s support.
We (bloggers) just want credit where it’s due. They (newspapers) should ask first if they want to use our photos, we’re really not that hard to contact, and credit the owner of the photo properly.
..and it’s not the case, right ? These darn newspapers need some good hard spankin’ .. LOL
A quick whois and a little Google search informed me that Panay News website is hosted by GoDaddy.com .. Next time you see any of your pictures in Panay News website, just email and complain to GoDaddy.com’s email address (look it up)..
I had Manila bulletin steal a picture from my website’s frontpage and used on their site, also without any credits or anything.
Htpp://www.dumagueteinfo.com/ the calesa picture is in the bottom of the front page, and it is bigger and clearer than the stolen one here:
http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2007/09/25/TOUR20070925103992.html
So it is not only smaller provincial newspapers who disregard webmasters rights to their material, but also one of (if not) the biggest newspaper in the country.
The Dane
Hi! I use to work with Panay News. And to be honest with you I also hate them!!! specially david. I can give you his email address if you want. let me know cause they owe me one.
yeah! i hate panay news paper talaga. i use to work with them! mga gago yan sila! thay should respect us mga blogger.
di na kamo bakal ng panay news mag THE NEWS TODAY nalang kayo……..
actually, in my opinion, The News Today is losing edge lately.
I rather have The Guardian Iloilo than any other local dailies back home.
The reason why Panay News is so brazen about copying pictures from the internet is that because they know they could get away with it. They probably have consulted lawyer/s and they were told that there is no existing Philippine law against copying pictures from internet articles. So until there is law under which they could be sued and prosecuted Panay News and its editors will continue to copy and steal pictures without payment or acknowledgement.
What do you say Mr. Manzano?
Actually there is already a Philippine Copyright Law and there are International Intellectual Property Rights Laws that the Philippines is a signatory of. What they are doing is unlawful and it’s very unprofessional and disrespectful. Just we are “tiny” and they have the big guns doesn’t give them the excuse to infringe copyrighted materials.
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