[Sca-cooks] SCA media relations

[Tara Sersen Boroson]

Jadwiga wrote:

>No, because there are a significant number of them who do stupid things
>that could lose us our sites, our insurance, etc. Remember the idiot
>'press photographer' who walked repeatedly into the lists at the Celtic
>Classic demo? (Local reference. We called the festival organizers, who
>also had the 'press must be approved' policy-- it's not unusual-- and who
>looked out to be sure he was not allowed near us in future.)
>  
>

I do remember that idiot.  However, that was a demo at a large, chaotic 
public function - not a normal SCA event.  If that schmuck showed up at 
Pennsic, or any other event, he'd have been kicked off site for such a 
breach of safety rules.

>I, personally, have had so much trouble with non-SCA 'professional
>photographers' who weren't willing to listen to the rules (unlike the
>local press that were willing to have an escort) that for the A&S event
>I'm running next year, there will be photography liasons to ensure that
>photographers do not interfere with other people's enjoyment of the event
>and use of the facilities. :)
>

That is one of the best points made in this argument so far - that these 
people can disrupt other's enjoyment of the event by being in people's 
faces with camaras, etc.  But, is that any worse than Joe Newbie who 
takes eight million pictures to take home and show Mom?  I like the 
photography liason idea - everybody with a camara, SCAdian or reporter 
or whatever, has to agree to abide by certain customs.


Samira wrote:

> I don't know if there has been any bad media stories, but the Society 
> for Creative Anarchism has a bad rep with some police and Christian 
> groups. A friend of mine was in the Army and all of his stuff for the 
> SCA was paid for by them so that he could come spy on us. He loved 
> being able to be paid for doing his favorite hobby! 


But, if one of those Christian groups wanted to "infiltrate" us to get 
dirt, it would be really easy to do so.  These aren't the people who are 
coming under the guise of normal reporters and photographers.  I think 
our "bad rep" and the issue of reporters are only slightly related 
arguments.

A properly chaperoned reporter could be as disruptive and as potentially 
negative toward us as an "undercover" one.  I don't think we'll ever be 
able to stop creative reporters from entering our events undercover - 
there is a tremendous amount of information available on the web that 
gives them an idea of how to act and what to expect, so they'll fit 
right in as an average newbie.  I agree with cracking down on those who 
are disruptive or who do dangerous or stupid things, but many SCA 
newbies who are not reporters do disruptive, dangerous and stupid things 
too.  Heck, seasoned SCAdians sometimes do disruptive, dangerous and 
stupid things.  Classifying these actions as only the purview of 
reporters and therefore castigating them as a whole, and thus attempting 
to exclude them from our events won't help us.  It'll only give us a 
greater air of secrecy that spawns the kind of bad reputation that 
Samira mentioned.

-Magdalena