A former Cast Member who is a photographer recently spoke out about live streamers, preparing for any hate that would be aimed their way for their opinion.
Live streamers have been at the receiving end of much criticism and frustration from fellow Guests. They have been called out for being rude, endangering themselves and others, and ruining the Disney experience for themselves and fellow Park visitors when at the Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort. However, while live streamers have even been banned in one Disney Resort, one former Cast Member,
The former Cast Member, u/m424filmcast, took to Reddit to share their perspective. The OP opened by saying, “I know I will get downvoted into oblivion for this post, but that is fine. It is only internet points, and if you feel the need to slam me for it with downvotes, please feel free. You won’t hurt my feelings, nor will it bother me in the slightest.”
After the disclaimer, they explained they are a professional photographer and a freelance camera operator who has worked in many public settings for the past fifteen years. With this context, the OP brought up live streamers, stating some were “overly entitled and should be kept from doing some of the crazy stuff they do,” but there were also many who are “very respectful” and “very kind.”
They then went on to address the problem of being recorded without consent. To this, the OP stated,
There is no law that states that you must be compensated or that you must give permission to be filmed or photographed if you are in a public space. As far as commercial use, that is allowed as long as you are not the direct focus of the video. If you are just in the background, you are “incidental” in the video, you have no recourse. So even if you are on private property (such as the Disney parks), you are in fact in a public place. And in these public places, photography and videography are allowed.
They also cited the first amendment of the Constitution—the right to a free press—letting people know that press wasn’t restricted to only those who worked for a news organization.
The OP did make clear that some vloggers needed to be banned, and likely Disney was looking into making sure they were not allowed to disrupt fellow Guests’ experiences.
In the comments, most fellow fans and Guests agreed with the OP, even adding they were going to be more assertive with these kinds of vloggers in the future. People have reported encountering Disney vloggers at many a Disney Theme Park, including Magic Kingdom Park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park in Disneyland Resort.
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