PutnamLIES.com correspondent Leonard Bernstein uncovered the blatant copyright violation and contacted the photographer whose rights were violated by Hallburn.
PutnamLIES.com excerpted that email in that story. Upon request of the reporter we are now releasing the entire email exchange.
From: Leonard Bernstein
Subject: photo use on website
To: Bernard Zee
Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2009, 1:22 PM
Hello,
I noticed one of your photos on a blog located here: http://putnamlive.com/HotShots2009BlueAngelsBernardZee.jpg
(from the main nav page you would go to the "hotshot" section.
(editor's note: Readers will have to cut and paste to see the above link as we will not link to the site.)Which appears to be http://home.comcast.net/~bzee1a/DSC_8128.jpg with your copyright cropped out. Just wondering if you were aware of this?
The owner of this blog tends to snag photos without credit, and seeing how your photos are for sale, I figured the least he would do is give credit for that great photo.
Thanks!
--
-Lenny-
From: Bernard Zee
Date: Wed, Sep 23, 2009 at 4:55 PM
Subject: Re: photo use on website
To: Leonard Bernstein
Hi Lenny,
Thanks for letting me know about the picture. You're right in that I did not give them permission to use it (I would have, if they asked).
At least they credited me indirectly in the filename of the image.
I'm very honored that you recognized that picture! You've got a great eye for details!
Regards,
BZ
This picture didn't come from an image service.
If it was submitted by a reader, there was no due diligence to check if the reader owned the photo.
Halburn says he won't print a letter to the editor without a scan of the writer's driver's license.
But apparently he'll post any picture anyone sends him regardless of who owns it.
By the way, did you get a copy of Rick Ray's license for his letter or did you just copy the letter verbatim from the Herald Dispatch, Crisco?
Piracy like this is journalism at its absolute worst, practiced
by an immoral charlatan masquerading as a businessman.
He will stoop to the lowest, most vulgar, vile and disgusting
ploys to deceive the honest, hard-working citizen.
He is the lowest form of scum on the face of the earth.
Wonder if he is going to "fax" a letter of apology the photographer?
ReplyDeleteHe ought to fax a letter of apology to the human race.
ReplyDeleteRay Charles could see that that picture was copied from that photographer's home page.
And then to cut his name off the photo.
Shame!
If the supposed photog ever contacts me about said photo, I will work directly with him. So far, you haven't posted any PROOF that he has a concern. And if he really did, I believe he would have contacted me. I think you're fabricating an issue.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen a copyright. I have a photo that was submitted by a reader. I published it. YOU are having a heart attack. GO GET A LIFE!!!!!!!!!!! (And a JOB!)
ReplyDeleteFour questions:
ReplyDelete1) Are you practicing copyright law by giving legal advice?
2) Are you a licensed attorney?
3) Does your local bar association know about your comments?
4) What would happen to you if I told your state bar association about your comments?
Holy. Crap. I just had the weirdest sense of De Ja Vu... where have I heard the "are you a lawyer" routine before...
ReplyDeleteOH!
I know!
The alligator-taco post on GoW.com
http://www.girlofwords.com/?p=2342&cpage=1#comments
Mark Hallburn said (amongst other blathering bullshit):
2) In an earlier post you were apparently giving me legal advice. Are you a lawyer? Does the American Bar Association know you are doing this? How about the Maryland bar?
I thought, since you are broke, you are looking for all the free legal advice you can get there Markie........
ReplyDeleteYou know that sound you hear of of people laughing? Its not just in your head anymore, its real.........
The reality is that I have the photog's permission. The laughter is on you... Again!
ReplyDeleteThe reality is that if you do have permission, you just got it.
ReplyDeletePublish the email from him or send it to me.
The reality is that we forced you to do this if you actually did it.
You're still a liar until you prove different.
contact him yourself. I don't owe you any favors. You never believe me anyway.
ReplyDeleteThe reason nobody believes you is that you're an habitual liar.
ReplyDeleteEver hear the story of the little boy who cried wolf?
Well, you're the big fat boy that cries wolf.
Show us the proof.
Put up or shut up.
So Mark, how do you know you were talking with the REAL photographer? mwhaaaaaa
ReplyDeleteWow! Halburn, with on L, really is clueless. You can't be a real publisher if you don't understand copyright laws, Mark. It's well documented that he hijacks editorial copy, cartoons, graphics and now photos. But he just deals with it after he gets caught. You know, it kind of reminds me of when the guy stole Mark's wallet. What if that guy had returned the wallet with all the money and credit cards intact? Do you think Mark would've dropped the issue. Of course he wouldn't. You know why. Because the guy broke the law and stole something. Just because Mark gets caught and then backtracks to rectify the situation doesn't mean his hands are clean. A thief is a thief.
ReplyDeleteI reached him through Bernard_Zee@Yahoo.com.
ReplyDeleteJoAnn:
ReplyDeleteStick to your crappy blog and your lack of attribution when reporting arrests. And, Ms. Florida, I never stole anything. That picture was submitted by a reader who claimed to own the photo. How is your part-time Walmart doing?
Oh yeah, old nonuts is way less than a man. Those have to be pretty big skirts for him to hide behind them.
ReplyDeleteTo use the word pussy to describe him is an insult to pussies everywhere.
Good writing advice, coming from a guy whose only original stories are regurgitations of police reports. It's a good thing those are in the public domain or the police would sue YOU for plagiarism.
Somebody got arrested over the weekend while you were gone, fatboy, go get the report so you'll have a new "story" for your shitty little blog.
Is Mark still on his stalking ... er, "travel story" trip?
ReplyDeleteYikes, I think I hit a nerve with Halburn, with on L. If only he understood the difference between a blog and a news site. Or what attribution is, for that matter.
ReplyDeleteJoAnn in Fantasyland.
ReplyDeleteHow about those Chargers! Stomped your Fins! Go Bolts!!! Maybe you can use your time more productively by playing quarterback for Miami. Chad is hurt and they can use some help.
Ya' know Halburn, that just shows you lack any moral integrity or level of class. I want my team to win as much as the next guy, but I never celebrate a player's injury, even for the teams I truly can't stand. I wouldn't even laugh if T.O. got hurt, and I think he's about as low on the moral scale as anyone. But I never wish a player hurt and I never celebrate an injury.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that you mock Pennington, who is one of the classiest players in the league and a true ambassador of Marshall and West Virginia, just shows you are a bad person. Besides, it's sad that you get mad because I call you out and all you have to resort to is mocking an injured player to try and attack me. Get a life. You behave like a child.
As my dear, departed pappy used to say..."those who are not nice to the help, are not nice at all..."
ReplyDeleteMark Hal(L)burn- bullying females and those he is bigger than for 42 years...
Hey, I believe that you contacted Mr. Zee. I don't believe that it was submitted by a reader who claimed to own the copyright, because the filename you used had "bernardzee". If it came from anyone other than Mr Zee, you wouldn't have had his name in the filename.
ReplyDeleteBut, that just shows your lack of integrity. "Right Click first, ask permission later" seems to be your m.o.
I still think you're a liar, even if you now have permission to use the image.
Look out JoAnn,
ReplyDeleteHe's going to accuse you of practicing law.
You don't want get reported to your local bar association.
He may even decide to take a "vacation" down your way.
Maybe I should turn this site into a news site.
He pretends to be a journalist. Maybe I should pretend to be a lawyer.
ReplyDeleteAnd he wasn't on "vacation" in D.C. Remember? He was "working" on some big "story." Besides, he already said he was vacationing in Florida when he really went to Myrtle Beach for a week.
ReplyDeleteHe also pretends to be a human being.
ReplyDeleteSo I'm going to pretend to have a news site.
Keep watching this space.
Why did the West Virginia woman move to Florida? Because there are more little old ladies in Florida to harass about their property taxes!
ReplyDeleteAt least they actually pay theirs.
ReplyDeleteActually, I moved to Florida because my brilliant husband is a DNA specialist who works in a field that solves crimes and makes the world a safer place. The crime rate is so low in West Virginia, that we moved to Miami so he could put his skills to use on a daily basis. Halburn, with one L, you are quite ignorant. When not a work, I volunteer for a homeless organization trying to return people to self-sufficiency. I'm on the board for a leadership organization that helps young professionals become active in their community. I also volunteer on the board of a local theater that provides new playwrights a forum for their works because I believe in the arts. In other words, I'm doing things to make my community better. I also continue to help several West Virginia organizations and am a supporter of the Big Green Foundation. What are you doing other than harrassing young girls that work at the pool, attack 80-year-old mayors and bullying people left and right? You resort to petty attacks because you have nothing else. Very sad. By the way, we pay our property taxes.
ReplyDeleteJoAnn:
ReplyDeleteIn other words, you are unemployed giving you ample time to attack a hard-working journalist in the state that you abandoned and pretend to be a part of. I wasn't attacking Pennington, (who has done more for WV than you-he comes back and spends money with his foundation-you come back and pose for silly photos in front of Wally World and KFC) I was pointing out that the Fins need a QB and since you apparently need a job (and a life) that you can try out for the Dolphins.
I won't speak for JoAnn, because she's plenty able to do that for herself, but a bellboy is accusing somebody of being unemployed?
ReplyDeleteIt's called a hobby when you can't make money from writing a shitty little blog and have to take a real (menial) job. You're one step above cleaning toilets, meathead.
At least she doesn't need for her spouse or mother-in-law to support her like you do.
Mike:
ReplyDeleteI'll put my work schedule (40-plus hours a week) Business schedule (40-plus hours a week) and teaching schedule (1-4 days a month) up against your schedule ANYTIME!
It's a sad fact that many people with no skills must work long hours at multiple jobs. Get used to it.
ReplyDeleteStay in school, kids.
ReplyDeleteCan we get a breakdown of number of hours spent making out with a pillow named Jacque, number of hours spent moving your fat rolls to handfuck yourself over people being "mean" to you, and hours of time spent stalking?
ReplyDeleteThose are the numbers we're looking for here, really.
"Lenny"
ReplyDeleteThe fact that GOW repeatedly called you Shawnatells me that you stole the name "Leonard Bernstein."
No, "Mike,"
ReplyDeleteI enjoy spending mornings with my son. Our overlapping schedules allow us to keep our son out of daycare where he is away from other children and their common colds, flu, H1N1, etc. Grandma is here to watch him until wife comes home-about a 2-hour bridge. I work nights for health benefits which my wife's company does not offer. (I also enjoy the travel benefits). And I have taught for decades because I enjoy it. Now I am using the money to help pay off my wife's master's loan so that I can start my masters in a year or so.
The name is SHAWN, fucknozzle. Not Shawna.
ReplyDeleteAnd the translation of your other rant is: I lay around the house in my underwear until my wife gets home, while my kid watches TV.
Yeah, we know, we've heard it all before. Just for the benefits. You are worse than the worst hillbilly in this state.
What are you? The Culhane Family?
What kind of shitty job does someone with a master's degree have that doesn't offer family benefits?
Face it, you just need the money. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Lots of people are overextended in these tough times.
A master's degree for you? What kind of "school" would have you as a master's candidate?
A masturbation degree maybe.
"I also enjoy the travel benefits"
ReplyDeleteMakes stalking easily done at quite a discount, doesn't it?
I'd love to stay and debate middle names being used as nicknames, but frankly, I've got shit to do. You know... for the benefits.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to point out that the benefits of my job allow me to have a place to live, to pay my taxes on said place to live, to not freak the fuck out everytime someone on the internet doesn't like me, etc.
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't have health insurance, at least I'm not batshit crazy!
Eleanor Rigby said...
ReplyDelete"Can we get a breakdown of number of hours spent making out with a pillow named Jacque..."
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHA!
Hey Fatty Arbuckle! If you had two rat shits for brains, you'd realize that the name "Leonard Bernstein" comes from the R.E.M. song "It's The End Of The World As We Know It." Any journalist would know that! But that's a moot point.
Who the fuck do you teach? Special Ed? Or is it the other way around?
Sheeeeeeeeeeeiiiit! Mark HaLburn is in a Adult Special Education class. They have those programs, actually. Where "adults" like Mark can bone up on skills like reading, basket weaving, coloring, and the like. They don't get grades, per se'...but at the end of the day they get popsicles for doing good work.
Mark ate all the popsicles...not because he does good work, but because he's a self-centered pig-man who loves to get free eats!
In the real world, hotel clerks (aka bellhops) don't get the world-class benefits Mark speaks of. In fact, if Mark was only HALF stupid, he'd go back to telemarketing...like at Sitel, or customer service like Cingular (Jesus, how many jobs have you had, anyway?) because their benefits are actually somewhat better, especially at Cingular since they are a union company (I know because I did the shit in college while working in radio and living by myself...I didn't have anyone taking care of me). Bellhops like Mark at best make around 8 bucks an hour, however, insurance costs for a family of 4 would be over $300.00 these days (or more, give or take). That's what he's not telling you, because he wants us to believe he's some big (well...as in celebrity big)
shot known the world over. You factor in taxes, along with Mark's supposed "benefits" claim, and Mark's food budget, I'd say he brings home around 50 cents every two weeks. So ya know, Mark works hard for his Mcnuggets!
And you're keeping your fucking chud of a kid out of pre-school because you're afraid he'll get sick??? Germs are everywhere! Are you gonna keep him from school too because there's germs. You're keeping him out because you can't afford day care, but I'm sure he's getting the best education The Spice Channel has to offer, because I know that's the only thing you have on the tube when mother hog is away and grandma is in the other room staring at the celing and yelling at it to "Get off her lawn or I'll sick the tub of guts on ya!"
Still waiting on that apology, Sal Marino!
Whoa! Who said I was unemployed?
ReplyDeleteGeez, Mark, do you enjoy making yourself look like an idiot? I just like to engage in a little process called work/life balance. It means I work 40-50 hours per work at my job (which is in the financial district of downtown Miami, though I'm not going to tell you where since you've already made an appearance in D.C. to stalk GOW, but I'd be more than happy to send you a photo of the skyline from my Brickell office. Note, my office is a real one. It's not my mother-in-law's basement.)
Anyway, I work full-time, then spend some of my free time in community activities because I believe in community involvement. And then there's family time. Often, community involvement and family time are combined into fun community activities, but I digress. My point is, if you put half as much energy into volunteering in real causes or used your energy for positive change instead of spending all your time tearing down Putnam County and West Virginia, you might find yourself in a happier place. Volunteering is very fulfilling.
By the way, when I was a journalist in West Virginia (not just playing one on the Internet *wink wink*), I won a public service award for my coverage of the volunteer fire departments and recognition from the state Division of Tourism for my efforts to promote lesser known gems in the Mountain State. Who has taken note of your "work?" And just for the record, I've been working since I was 16 years old, and even worked two jobs when I was in college. You know why I don't work two jobs now? Because I worked hard to get my degree so I could find a job that pays me enough that I only have to work one and spend the rest of my time with my family and helping my community. You want kudos for allegedly working two "full-time" jobs (if you count that Web site), but I don't think that's a positive here. I wouldn't wear that like a badge of honor. Working two because you want to versus have to are very different things. Besides, I'm not buying that you spend 40 hours per week on that Web site. If you did, logic says you would have found some way to get those stolen pictures to line up on your stories so the first paragraphs aren't always distorted. Seeing as how that is a perpetual problem, my guess is you spend very little time on that blog.
I'm a little behind in responding to this because I was traveling for work and don't play on blogs while working, like a certain hotel employee, but in regards to Pennington: I showed your remarks to several people including a few WVU fans who have no interest in supporting my Marshall QB, and everyone agrees your comments are insensitive. In your lame attempt to be funny, you exposed yourself for the insensitive person you are. You can't weasel your way out of that one. You might as well drop it and move on.
EEK, that was a long post. I hate long posts. Sorry Publisher Ballburn. Wait, is that with one L or two? Anyway, it's just that there are so many angles and avenues in which Halburn, with on L, is so off base, I could write an epistle and still not cover everything. It's like he wants to make it easy for us to expose how silly he is.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Manatee...your "family" portraits are still up for the whole world to see.
ReplyDeleteAnd I also gave Mike permission to use MY pictures of your family any way he sees fit.
Take all the space you need. Submit it as an article if you want.
ReplyDeleteWe'll print it. We could use a few guest columnists.
No need to scan your license.
I have a few ideas for some columns.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if I'm going to be a guest columnist here, I also want to be on the editorial board as well as go on trips for stories I'll be submitting...
OK, you can be on the editorial board, but remember when traveling, absolutely NO stalking allowed.
ReplyDeleteI wish Mark would spend half as much time on these blogs and more time with his family. <@:(
ReplyDeleteWhy you lie like this daddy?
ReplyDeleteWhy do you eat all the food in the house?
Will I have to have free lunches like the kids in school that you say is ripping off the government?
How come I have to call you Mark instead of daddy?
Is Lee my real dad?
Lee,
ReplyDeleteMark spends a lot of his time down in his office with a bottle of Jergens lotion, a pillow with a torn picture of some blogger girl taped to it, and the door locked. The strangest noises come from down there. He avoids any questions that I ask about it.
Mike Ballburn - I hadn't mentioned it before, but I love the alliteration here. :)
ReplyDeleteI thought his office is just down the road past the city limits sign.
ReplyDelete