Filming Rights for news programs

L

lux

I often see footage on the news and current affair programs of ordinary people being used to demonstrate a point such as a close up of an obese woman eating a hamburger walking in a busy street. While the news item may be about the horrors of fast food, I think to myself "what rights do the people have who are being used without permission?".

I have also seen programs showing close ups of slim attractive women's bums for some related topic. So do news programs have the right to film such things, or practically anything, for the sake of informing the public about current issues in the world?
 
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Some gotten permission and signed releases or taped in front of camera stating they agreed to be taped, I've done this and also being asked while in NYC at Time Square if I would like to be 'included' in an interview for the news...

Sometimes they use 'stock' footage, but most of the time, if they film a person's face directly, then they have to get a release form signed or taped on camera... (Unless they are using a stock footage).

Johnny
 
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Also, if you notice, many times with stories like this they exclude the person's face so that they can't be identified. And never show kids without signed parent or guardian persmission.

Scott
 
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I can see that if the person is used as the subject but what about when its just a group of say 25 buisnessmen walking down a footpath. You know the angle when some walk towards the camera and some away. It is clear that the people don't know that they are being filmed but it would be impossible to chase them all up and ask for permission.
 
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Here I think I finally found my answer. According to "What they don't teach you at film school":

'People own the rights to their own image, likeness, and voice. They don't surrender these just because you have a camera. News reporters are allowed to show people in the context of a news event (in honor of the public's right to know about the news), but that's only for a one-time broadcast. For subsequent broadcasts they need permission from anyone recognizable.'
 
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