School scoops

What are the limits to citizen media? The Association of Teachers and Lecturers is trying to lay down some of its own devising. It unanimously agreed a resolution at its conference yesterday to protect education professionals from unauthorised recordings and photographs by pupils and their parents.

The Association says it:

* deplores the continued incidence of pupils using camera phones in schools and within class;

* deplores the increasing incidence of tape recording of parent interviews by parents - a practice to which it states its outright opposition;

In public, the objection has been to kids sharing pictures between phones and uploading them - humorously doctored - onto websites.

But there may be further worries at the back of teachers' minds. The mainstream press is not averse to running stories about teachers. An enterprising school student with revealing and extreme pictures of a teacher's behaviour may well be welcomed by a tabloid paper.

You can see why educational professionals would want this stopped. But what is the principle here? Is it an age thing - kids are not mature enough to snap pics and sell them? Is there something about the job of teaching that means it should be uniquely protected from wider public exposure? If documentary-makers can use concealed cameras in schools to show kids' behaviour - why shouldn't the kids do likewise?

No answers. Just interesting questions.

Les