It appears that our First Lady, Melania Trump is making some money being in the White House, after all. NBC News spotted an unusual item in President Donald Trump’s 2017 financial disclosure report.
Since Trump took office, Melania has earned at least $100,000 and up to $1 million from an unusual deal with the Getty photo agency in which major media organizations have indirectly paid the Trump family despite a requirement that the photos be used only in positive coverage.
The gist of the problem
Melania Trump has posed for nearly 200 photos by Belgian photographer Regine Mahaux between 2010 and 2016, often with her husband and son Barron. Other photos include glamorous shots of the first lady posing by a pool and playing tennis with Barron, as well as shots of their lavish digs in New York City.
When Melania Trump set up her deal with Getty Images, it was with the stipulation that the photos could be used only for positive coverage. The photos are available for a fee at Getty Images, and at least a dozen media outlets have used them over the years—including NBC News, Fox News, Yahoo News, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Houston Chronicle, and the Daily Mail, to name a few.
Many news outlets have a subscription with Getty Images that allows them to download images for news stories. However, some photos require additional payment and list a price. However, according to Newsweek, Melania Trump’s photos instead require the buyer to contact Getty and states: “User will not be able to price or download image without prior negotiation.”
The photo descriptions also stipulate the pictures can be used for “positive stories only.” It seems that news outlets used many of the photos in the run up to the presidential election, sort of filling out the family for the public, so there really wasn’t anything that wasn’t positive to them.
But here’s the kicker – When NBC reporters contacted the various news organizations, including their own, they found that most of the outlets were not aware of the fine print requiring positive coverage and had no idea royalties were going to the Trumps.
As for Fox News – A spokesman said in a statement that the Mahaux photos used by Fox “were provided by the Trump campaign and Melania Trump’s office, who told us they had full ownership and rights to the photos.”
An NBC News spokesman said NBC did not agree to or sign a statement that the image they used would be for positive coverage only and was never informed that a portion of the royalties would go to the Trump family.
Yahoo took down a photo in question. “We were not aware of this specific arrangement with Getty nor was our editorial influenced by it,” it says in a statement. “We have removed the image from Yahoo Lifestyle.”
The San Francisco Chronicle, as well as a number of other news organizations, have removed the Trump photos from their websites.
Ethical standards of news organizations tarnished
Akili Ramsess, executive director of the National Press Photographers Association told NBC News the paying of royalties to the Trumps and limiting the use to only positive stories is unusual for news organizations. And Keith Major, another Getty photographer who has also photographed Melania Trump, said he does not share royalties with her.
More to the point is what USA Today has to say about this faux pas – Getty is very proud of its editorial policy as one that adheres “to a common set of professional journalistic principles that guide our staff, our processes, and our operations,”
However, says USA Today, “offering financial compensation to story subjects is one of the greatest violations of ethical standards within the profession.” They also cite Getty’s “fair and unbiased coverage” policy, stating that this principle is clearly not upheld with their stipulation that the photos of the First Lady be used only for positive coverage.
The news media does not need this additional negative coverage, especially when it is allegedly the fault of one of our own, at least according to NBC and USA Today. The press is already being blasted by the Trump administration as being purveyors of “fake news” and has even been called an “enemy of the people.”
USA Today recommends that the press should avoid using photos with any kinds of strings attached and search out alternative sources instead, including staff photographers, freelancers or other image suppliers.
