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Area lawmakers oppose limiting newspapers' photo use

Posted January 25, 2008 10:00 pm

Adriana Colindres

Legislation that would prevent the Illinois High School Association from regulating how news organizations use photos and videos of sporting events sounds like a good idea to most central Illinois lawmakers.

"I think it's a mistake for the IHSA to try and regulate the press," said Rep. David Leitch, a Peoria Republican who once worked as a reporter for the Peoria Journal Star. "I have a good relationship with the IHSA. I just think they're wrong on this one."

Leitch said he would vote for House Bill 4582 if he gets the opportunity.

Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, said he probably would vote for the bill and added: "The IHSA seems to want ... an infringement on news organizations' freedom of the press, in my opinion."

Springfield-area lawmakers said they want to examine the measure more closely, but their initial reaction is to look favorably on the bill.

"It seems like they're trying to limit free enterprise, and we should never do that," said Rep. Raymond Poe, R-Springfield.

"I think it's probably something I would support," said Rep. Rich Brauer, R-Petersburg. "I think they're trying to rewrite policy, and I certainly don't agree with that."

While none of the lawmakers contacted Thursday and Friday said they would oppose the legislation, at least one, Rep. Keith Sommer, R-Morton, said he isn't sure yet what he thinks about regulating the sale of photos.

Rep. Joe Lyons, D-Chicago, is sponsoring the bill, which was filed this week in the Illinois House. Sen. James DeLeo, D-Chicago, has agreed to introduce identical legislation in the Senate, according to the Illinois Press Association.

Debate on the bill won't happen until next month, at the earliest, because lawmakers aren't due back in Springfield until after the Feb. 5 primary.

HB4582 results from a dispute between the IHSA and the Illinois Press Association that escalated last fall and led to a lawsuit. At one point, the IPA withdrew a motion for a preliminary injunction against the IHSA because the two sides had revived negotiations.

The state high school football championships took place shortly after that in Champaign, where the IHSA denied on-field access to photographers from four newspapers, including The (Springfield) State Journal-Register and Journal Star.

The IHSA said it was denying field access to newspapers that continued to sell photos online, which the IHSA contends violates its policy.

IHSA executive director Marty Hickman said Friday that news reports about the legislation have not been fair.

"It's frustrating for us to see the one-sidedness of this," he said.

"We think lawmakers will see through this," Hickman said about HB4582.

"They'll see it has nothing to do with freedom of the press, nothing to do with news."

"It's about selling pictures," he added. "It's clearly about selling pictures."

Don Craven, attorney for the IPA, said that isn't true.

"This has nothing to do with photographs," Craven said. "This has everything to do with the IHSA wanting to claim ownership of high school sports. They want to be NASCAR.

"Illinois newspapers don't make enough money selling photos of IHSA finals to pay for the camera, much less to pay for the photographers."

A new wrinkle to the battle unfolded this week, when the IHSA said it probably would drop live television broadcasts of high school basketball and football championship games if lawmakers pass HB4582.

"Each year our television coverage is accessible to millions of Illinois citizens," says a statement posted Thursday on the IHSA Web site. "Our viewership has long enjoyed this coverage, but without the ability to regulate its distribution, it is very likely that we will no longer be able to televise events."

After reviewing the statement, Craven said: "I don't understand that at all."

The full statement is available online at www.ihsa.org. Click on "IHSA Responds to House Bill 4582."

Adriana Colindres can be reached at (217) 782-6292.

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