Madoff coverage

[sarah_fox]

<p>Wow, I'm watching Madoff on the tube. He's walking from point A to point B, surrounded by a mob of reporters, phototographers, and videographers.</p>

<p>I was struck by one photographer who gave Madoff a huge shove backwards, held up is camera, and took a few frames of an understandably pissed Madoff. Don't think that I'm at all sympathetic to the guy -- probably history's biggest crook. However, isn't that odd, even for a press photographer? Maybe an enquirer photographer. Is it only because we hate the guy that this is possible? (The financial commentators were equally surprised by the photographer's conduct.)</p>

[shambrick007]

<p>Damn! Now we know why all those celebs looked pissed on the front of the scandal mags!</p>

[William Kahn]

<p>The photographer crossed the line. Legally, he committed a battery, a misdemeanor offense in most states. But, hey, at least he didn't throw shoes at him.</p>

[sknowles]

<p>Was he really a press photographer or just a freelance one trying to get a shot he could sell? I wonder sometimes with the huge number of photographers how many are real photojournalists (meaning from established news organizations and/or companies) and how many are just photographers working to get and sell images.</p>

[sarah_fox]

<p>After watching the footage again, it appears he shoved Madoff twice. The first time he didn't get quite enough distance to frame his shot, so he gave the guy a HUGE shove that threw him back several feet. He had a smile on his face as he framed up his shot, as though he were thinking, "Got it!" Amazing.</p>

[tholte]

<p>If you can't give a little shove to someone who has admitted to screwing people out of over fifty billion dollars, who can you shove? Shoving him twice was definitely over the top however.</p>

[Brian]

<p>Wrong answer Tim. The behavior was totally unacceptable: one of the reasons for having a legal system is to forestall people from just taking a pop at suspected criminals.</p>

[Spearhead]

<p>There's a video from a different angle on a few sites that shows Madoff pushing the photographers first. Very interesting...</p>

[ellis_vener_photography]

<p>Any links Jeff?</p>

[cooltpmd]

<p>Our so called legal system will slap a penalty for a shove, put Martha Stewart in jail for making a few bucks unethically, but let this slimebag who has ruined the life savings of many people who may never recover in their life time, slide with penalties and "white collar jail".<br>

This guy deserves a public brutal execution more than any murderer or rapist in history by the sheer volume of people he has affected.<br>

Once people quit acting like weak panzies and send these Wall Street criminal to serious jail and execution ... our market will recover what gave America its major hope ... stable, ethical money management.</p>

[ellis_vener_photography]

<p>So thomas,</p>

<p>Two wongs make a right? We can now be judge , jury and executioner?</p>

<p>I'm not defending Madoff. He appears to be a criminal of the deepest water, but the photographer , whom PDN has now identified as Shannon Stapleton of Reuters, was way out of line. But I want to see those vids that Jeff Spirer referred to see who who shoved whom first.</p>

[sprouty]

<p>I think Maddoff should consider himself lucky. If it was Weegee, he'd have shot him twice, arranged the corpse, re-positioned the hat, and then taken the picture.</p>

[bob_bill]

<p>Takes my working a subject by removing twigs, tying back branches etc to a new level. Could be kind of risky putting a camera against ones nose after shoving some subjects. It might be wise to have an insured camera... and nose.</p>