NEW YORK – “It’s a horrible business,” said Roger Wong, a freelance photographer, who was among dozens of others waiting on a red carpet outside the Hard Rock Hotel near Times Square Thursday afternoon.
I was hoping to get a picture to sell Martha Stewartone of the models on the cover of this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
“What do I have to do though?
Start grilling burgers? I would probably earn more, but it’s not for me.”
At the issue’s launch party, photographers chatted and snapped photos of other attendees, including Megan Fox AND Kim Petras.
However, they were still reeling from what had happened two nights earlier, at the Ziegfeld Ballroom, where Megan Markle was honored at the Ms. Foundation’s annual Women of Vision Awards ceremony.
After leaving the gala, Prince Harry, Meghan and her mother, Doria Ragland, were involved in what a rep for the couple described as a “close to a catastrophic car chase” due to the paparazzi following them in a frenzy.
After news of the ordeal spread around the world from a city not particularly known for the kind of dramatic paparazzi chases that are common in Los Angeles and Europe, several of the photographers said the chase had been manufactured or exaggerated
Of the nearly dozen he spoke to The New York Times, some claimed to have been to the event.
One assured that he followed the royal couple, but would only give details in exchange for money.
Early reports largely repeated claims made by the couple’s rep, as well as comments made by a member of the security team on CNN that the chase may have been fatal.
However, as more details emerged, from police reports and a taxi driver who was briefly involved, events began to drift away from that account.
In a text message, Tina Brownauthor of two books on royalty, commented that the whole story “sounds a bit absurd”.
However, this came after allegations by the Dukes’ representative that they were involved in a dramatic two-hour chase.
Mayor Eric Adams condemned the incident, calling it “reckless and irresponsible,” before adding that he was a bit taken aback by the idea of a two-hour high-speed car chase through downtown Manhattan.
Moreover, in fact, the police later concluded that the incident “did not warrant further investigation.”
Wong, the freelance photographer, noted that the previous Tuesday, a lawyer for Prince Harry appeared in court in London to challenge a government decision not to allow him to pay for police protection during visits to the UK.
Wong assured that the moment of this was incredibly convenient.
Even a person who previously worked with the Dukes on their PR strategy said it defied logic that the couple’s chauffeur hadn’t pulled into a parking lot at one of the many hotels celebrities often use to shrug off the photographers following them.
page six he ridiculed the couple’s decision to stay with a friend in an undisclosed location instead of a safe hotel.
In an interview with the Times on Friday, the couple’s rep Ashley Hansen said:
“With all due respect, considering the Duke’s family history, one would have to think the worst of the couple or anyone associated with them to believe this was some kind of PR ploy. To be honest, I think it’s abominable.”
On Thursday, TMZ released a video of the dukes inside the vehicle and Prince Harry can be seen in the backseat, holding his iPhone, covering his face, seemingly filming the photographers.
(In the interview, Hansen confirmed this, adding: “I think this type of recording could be useful if an investigation is launched.”)
Initially the mayor was not the only one to criticize the photographers.
The New York Press Photographers Association released a scathing statement about the “alleged” conduct of the paparazzi, saying it “goes against the code of ethics that all of our members (and any press photographer with respect to themselves and the profession) should abide by.” .”
Backgrid, an agency that represents at least two of the photographers who drove the cars in pursuit of the royal couple, countered in a statement that while the agency will be investigating the incident, its photographers said the couple were in no danger. immediate during that incident. moment.
This has led the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to issue another statement asking the agency to hand over the recorded material.
The agency quickly responded with a letter to the couple’s legal team that read:
“In the United States, as you surely know, property belongs to the owner: third parties cannot simply demand something be given to them, as perhaps kings can. Perhaps they should sit down with their clients and advise them that their English royal prerogative rules to require citizens to hand over their property to the Crown were rejected by this country a long time ago. We defend what we have dones founding fathers”.
One of the Backgrid photographers involved in the incident was Marvin Patterson, a freelance photographer known as Blayze.
your page Facebook contains several images where she deliberately enters photos of models, rap celebrities and reality queens all over the city.
The Times contacted him Thursday evening via text message.
Patterson responded that he would release a statement soon, but would consider disclosing more if requested”great offer”.
Pointing out that the Times doesn’t allow sources and subjects to pay, Patterson noted that the TMZ tape pretty much sums up how calm the situation was.
He added: “There is nothing the public or the police really need to worry about. The facts are there. Exactly what you see is what is there.
Afterwards, she hung up the phone, only to explain in a text that there was simply no incentive to talk.
concluded:
“Yes, there was silence because there were no offers of money for my story.”
c.2023 The New York Times Society
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.