Freelancers question Scott Trust principles in photography 'rights grab' demonstration

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"What would the Scott Trust's founding philanthropist John Scott think, if he could see the treatment of photographers by Guardian News & Media?" was the question posed by Pete Jenkins, freelance photographer, after yesterday's protest outside GNM's Kings Place offices.

The action was organised in response to an alleged 'rights grab' by the group , which will no longer pay second-use reproduction fees for existing images and seeks a 'non-exclusive licence' to reuse new commissions.

The company argued that the change 'is not a rights grab' in a statement to the British Journal of Photography .

In 1936, to rescue the newspaper owned and edited by his father [CP Scott] John Scott renounced all financial interest in the business and formed a trust with all his shares, worth more than £1 million at the time.

"The Manchester Guardian was founded in the liberal interest to support social reform in the early 19th century. The ethos of public service has been part of the DNA of the newspaper and group ever since," Jenkins quoted from the Scott Trust's site .

Photographers around the world 'will be wondering how the new terms introduced by GNM management fit with the core purpose of the Trust', he said.

The Trust - owner of Guardian News & Media - states on its site that while profit making, the company 'should not invest in activities which conflict with the values and principles of the Trust'.

Yesterday more than 30 photographers gathered outside the Guardian's buildings on Kings Place to protest against the changes, due to be introduced this week.

Those assembled included the award-winning former Observer sports photographer Eamonn McCabe and famous cartoonist Steve Bell.

"Photographers are very proud of their contribution to their industry, not least of these those who contribute to the Guardian and Observer newspapers," said Jenkins, deputy chair of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) photographers' sub-committee.

"The protest at the Guardian by photographers was one that makes me very sad. That the Guardian and Observer of all newspapers should be imposing a rights grab on their most treasured contributors - their contract photographers - not to mention anyone unfortunate enough to receive a commission from the Guardian from today [September 1], is a huge disappointment.

"Over the years fewer photographers are used, rates become stagnated, there is a higher reliance on the PA [Press Association] for regional work, and now there are fewer photographers, fewer stringers, fewer on contract and fewer images used."

In response to the protesters' concerns, a spokesperson from GNM claimed that the company's terms and conditions for freelance photographers 'remain among the best in the industry'.

"It means that we can reuse a photo that we paid to have taken, from September 1, without paying the photographer again. Photographers retain copyright, and after a 60-day exclusivity period, the photographer is free to resell the picture," the company said.

"This change has been introduced at a time when we are cutting back on a wide range of expenditure to ensure GNM has a sustainable cost base for the future and is therefore able to continue to invest in photojournalism." As previously reported by Journalism.co.uk, a petition was launched to argue against GNM's decision and has currently attracted more than 900 names.

Other speakers at the rally during the protest included John Toner, NUJ freelance organiser and Jeremy Dear, general secretary of the NUJ.

Last week photographer Jonathan Warren highlighted his concern with the Guardian's call for photos from the Climate Camp event via a Flickr group with no offer of payment.

He was worried by both the possible implications for the newspaper's standard of journalism, and for its professional photographers.