Cell phone videos - paparatzzi culture?

[Bert]

I was scanning the daily news and came across this seemingly mundane
article about a NS Minister [Fage] leaving the scene of an accident.  Minister
Fage apparently stuck Mr. Gamble's car.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/ns_politician_crash

Nothing really appeared interesting about the article until about half way
down and I read this:

>
Gamble, who shot video of Fage after the accident, said he was satisfied
with the conviction but thought the fine should have been stiffer.

He said he believes the video he shot of Fage was key in getting the case
to court.
<

I thought, well, cell phone videos now heighten the bar on personal accountability
and legalities.   Good on Gamble.  However, if Minister Fage took out his camera
at the same time and video'ed Gamble, what implications to the court case?
What if Gamble was wearing a clown suit at the time?  Did Gamble ask if
he could take the video and Fage agreed?

I thought cell phone videos were a feature but it struck me now its alot more than
that.

How do you feel about the person behind you flipping out a cell phone and
videoing you?  I'm not reading anything more about Nova Scotia politics.

 

[armyvern]

This isn't a new phenomena.

Remember the LA riots? People are akin to pulling out cameras, or videotapes, and now (with technological advancements) cellphones.

They'll videotape anything from bridges collapsing, to crimes being comitted, to crime scenes, to abuse of authority occuring, to tornados, to hurricanes etc.

The media's been taping bombs going off for years along with other bits of nasty news ... little girls running away from napalm with their backs on fire in Vietnam etc. I wonder how she thought about being taped? So have ordinary citizens.

I wonder how earthquake victims being pulled out of rubble feel about it? I wonder how I feel about being taped each and every time I walk into a major dept store on their security monitors. I wonder how I feel each time a tourist snaps a pic and I'm caught in the background.

There's nothing new here ... the camera's just gotten smaller.

 

[observor 69]

A little more clarity on the context of the story: http://tinyurl.com/2sfjjq

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Former N.S. cabinet minister guilty
OLIVER MOORE

Globe and Mail Update with Canadian Press

December 18, 2007 at 12:08 PM EST

Halifax — A former Nova Scotia cabinet minister was convicted Tuesday of leaving the scene of an accident he caused while driving home from a political party near the legislature.

Ernie Fage maintained in his testimony that he was frightened by the other driver and another person who happened by during the late-night encounter. He said that he left because he was worried about his safety, but the explanation did not satisfy Provincial Court Judge Bill Digby.

Shortly after the verdict, Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald said Mr. Fage will remain out of the Progressive Conservative caucus and will not be allowed to run for the party in the next election.

“The events leading up to incident last December were largely the result of a serious lack of judgment on Mr. Fage's part,” Mr. MacDonald said in a statement.
Before Mr. MacDonald's announcement, Mr. Fage said he was planning on seeking re-election.

Judge Digby heard three days of testimony last month, including witnesses from the bar who said that Mr. Fage had been drinking that night in late November, 2006. One witness said that, by the end of the evening, Mr. Fage was repeating himself and having trouble speaking.

The driver of the car that Mr. Fage hit with his government-leased vehicle had similar testimony, saying that the politician ”reeked” of alcohol and appeared ”hammered.”

Mr. Fage testified that he had consumed three glasses of wine over the course of the evening and felt fine to drive when his taxi did not arrive. Since police had not arrived by the time Mr. Fage left the scene, his blood-alcohol content could not be tested.

Without a breath test, it is impossible to know what his level of impairment was, prosecutor Darrell Martin said on the final day of proceedings, but the perception of others that he was drunk might have affected his actions.

”The liquor is a huge factor here, the fact that he [was] a cabinet minister is a huge factor here,” Mr. Martin said. ”He wanted to get out of there without facing the police. And part of that was not giving his name and address so they couldn't find him.”

No one at the scene recognized Mr. Fage, but he was followed to his apartment building by David Gamble, who happened on the scene and started taking photos. He sold these photos to the media, along with a video shot in Mr. Fage's underground parking lot. The politician resigned his cabinet post within hours of their being aired.

Before Mr. MacDonald's announcement, Mr. Fage said he was planning on seeking re-election.

Judge Digby heard three days of testimony last month, including witnesses from the bar who said that Mr. Fage had been drinking that night in late November, 2006. One witness said that, by the end of the evening, Mr. Fage was repeating himself and having trouble speaking.

The driver of the car that Mr. Fage hit with his government-leased vehicle had similar testimony, saying that the politician ”reeked” of alcohol and appeared ”hammered.”

Mr. Fage testified that he had consumed three glasses of wine over the course of the evening and felt fine to drive when his taxi did not arrive. Since police had not arrived by the time Mr. Fage left the scene, his blood-alcohol content could not be tested.

Without a breath test, it is impossible to know what his level of impairment was, prosecutor Darrell Martin said on the final day of proceedings, but the perception of others that he was drunk might have affected his actions.

”The liquor is a huge factor here, the fact that he [was] a cabinet minister is a huge factor here,” Mr. Martin said. ”He wanted to get out of there without facing the police. And part of that was not giving his name and address so they couldn't find him.”

No one at the scene recognized Mr. Fage, but he was followed to his apartment building by David Gamble, who happened on the scene and started taking photos. He sold these photos to the media, along with a video shot in Mr. Fage's underground parking lot. The politician resigned his cabinet post within hours of their being aired.