Hero Flight 253 passenger only granted interviews after successfully selling photos for $10,000

[HipChick]

http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/2009/12/29/heroic_flight_253_passenger_jasper_schuring.htm

Within hours of becoming a hero in the skies over metro Detroit on Friday, passenger Jasper Schuringa's photos of Flight 253 were being shopped around to mainstream media.

The Dutch filmmaker's cell phone pictures of officials holding terrorism suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, on Friday were offered to news media organizations during the weekend.

Media watchdog bloggers report that Schuringa's camp sought upward of $10,000 for the shots -- with interviews going to those news media groups that bought a photo.

<snip>

Chris Ariens, managing editor of TVNewser.com, said such payments are now part of the news media landscape, with some mainstream news outlets justifying the transactions by noting that they paid for the photo only, not for the interview.

"In this case, it's two grainy cell phone images," Ariens said.

CNN was the first to pay for licensing rights to a Schuringa photo. CNN spokeswoman Carolyn Disbrow said Monday that a friend of Schuringa's -- she didn't know if it was Ben-Ami -- contacted CNN to sell the rights for an undisclosed amount. But she emphasized producers didn't arrange Schuringa's Saturday afternoon interview about leaping over seats to stop the terrorism suspect until after the photo contract was signed.

[FreakinDJ]

1. Times are tough and the Media is Sleezy

I say Kudos Jasper

Make those corporate whores pay back every cent of their ill gotten gains

[monmouth]

3. Absolutely. Let them pay through the nose. Good for Jasper...n/t

[asjr]

5. Yes, and it brings to mind "These were the

best of times and the worst of times." The words in that novel were prophetic.

[spanone]

2. nothing says hero like cashing in on your heroism

[malaise]

8. Well he is no Bernie Laplante

Did you see the movie Hero with Dustin Hoffman, Andy Garcia and Geena Davis. I loved that movie.

[spanone]

10. yes, i did...i loved that movie too.

[stray cat]

4. Maybe it pays for pain from the burns he sufferered or his medical bills

since he probably didn't not have travel insurance that pays for US health care

[geckosfeet]

6. Hell yes. You want to use me in your propaganda films? Buy me off.

[Robb]

7. I have no problem with selling photos.

Had I been there I would've marketed mine, too. Although selling interviews is cheesy.

[msongs]

9. should former presidents cash in on their celebrity? hmm nt