FIRST ON FOX: Parents who attended an NRA event last week slammed a Reuters photographer they claim took pictures of their children without their permission – which were then published by various outlets.
The news services photos, taken at the NRA's annual meeting in Indianapolis last week, included a picture of a young child appearing to point a gun at the camera lens and have been "exploited" in media articles about gun deaths, families and an NRA official said.
Reuters denied any wrongdoing by the photojournalist but have removed the kids' names from the pictures, which have appeared in outlets such as Insider and the Daily Mail left family members on edge by the blowback.
Dan Eckart, who took his two grandsons to the meeting last Saturday, called the photo of his 6-year-old grandchild aiming the firearm toward the camera "a set-up."
"What I noticed was [the photographer] was moving around so that whichever direction [his grandson] was, she tried to get in front of him," Eckart told Fox News Digital in a phone interview.
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The photo of Eckart’s grandson has since been used by outlets for articles highlighting how often children die by gunfire in the U.S.
Fox News Digital is not naming the young children photographed or using their images to protect their identities, as their families are concerned about their safety.
The NRA meeting saw almost 80,000 people attending to check out the latest in firearms and gear, go to firearm safety classes and hear from political leaders. The NRA credentials media outlets as a courtesy to attend the members-only event, including photographers from outlets such as Reuters.
The photographer, Evelyn Hockstein, allegedly told the boy to "look at her" as he handled one of the firearms, Eckart said, citing what his grandson told him. The photo captured a shot of the young boy looking at the camera straight-on while appearing to point the gun at the lens.
All displayed firearms at the NRA meeting were deactivated, while live ammunition was not permitted at the event, according to an NRA firearm regulations guide reviewed by Fox News Digital.
"That picture was a set-up," Eckart, who served as a pastor across his life, charged.
The photographer did identify herself as being a Reuters employee, but Eckart said he was under the "impression that she … was there on behalf of the NRA" due to her "chit-chatting" with him. Eckart provided the photojournalist with his name as well as his grandson’s name and age, assuming the photos would be used for an NRA collage or something similar.
The young boy’s father, Nathan Eckart, added that the photographer "set the photo up so that it looked like [his son] took the gun and was aiming it at her face." Nathan Eckart did not attend the NRA event, but he and his wife said they are working to get the photos removed from Reuters’ website and from the news articles that included them.
A Reuters spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Thursday that the company rejects "any suggestion of wrongdoing by the Reuters photojournalist covering the NRA convention in Indianapolis." The spokesperson also said of the Eckart family that "it is untrue that she asked a child to look at her" to get the shot of the young boy pointing a gun at the camera.
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"We stand by our photographs, which are in the public interest and meet our standards under the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles," the spokesperson said.
"Our photographer was at all times wearing a press badge and clearly introduced herself to adults as a photojournalist working for Reuters before taking any pictures of children," the spokesperson added. "She took these pictures in a section of the convention designated for media, where signs informed attendees that they might be photographed by the press, and also obtained consent of all photographed from parents or guardians, not children."
Reuters said the company removed the names of the children from its photos as a "courtesy."
NRA Director of Media Relations Amy Hunter pushed back against that assertion and told Fox News Digital that "there are no signs that say attendees might get pictured by the press or members of the media and the NRA has never had a ‘designated media section’ on the exhibit floor.
"The only signs on the floor advise attendees that their images may be used to promote NRA programs," she said, adding "perhaps Reuters has been provided false information."
Reuters updated their statement after asked about the NRA's comment, saying the photographer took the pictures "in a section of the convention designated for media, where signs informed attendees that they might be photographed."
Another couple spoke to Fox News Digital, who requested their names not be used in the article to protect their family, said they were able to get Reuters to remove photos of their kids from its website after they complained earlier this week.
Insider also removed photos of the children from an article titled, "Photos show kids as young as 6 handling guns at the NRA's annual meeting. Guns are the leading cause of death among US children," and included an editor’s note explaining that editors replaced three photos "from Reuters that were removed from the outlet's database postpublication following a parent's request." Other photos of children remain in the article as of Thursday.
The mom of the children in the since-removed photos said that she, her husband and three kids, ranging from ages 5 to 10, traveled to Indianapolis for a visit with extended family and to attend the NRA meeting last week.
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The mom said that she spotted the photographer taking photos of her kids, saying the photojournalist "had not approached us," but "just came up and started taking photos."
"Our kids’ photos have been taken other times during the conventions, so we didn't think too much of it," the mom said. "The photographer was smiling as she took the photos and was commenting to us how cute our kids were. But she never asked for permission beforehand or ask for consent to use or distribute them."
The mom added that the photographer identified herself as being with Reuters after the photos were taken and after she asked the kids for their names. After the photos were taken, the mom said she felt "a little uneasy after the interaction" and first found the published photos of her children on the Reuters website.
The families who spoke to Fox said they did not know each other, but both detailed similar circumstances.
"A lot of the organizations and the people that distributed and shared these photos, they purport to be all about children's safety," the mom who requested anonymity told Fox News Digital. "… The manner in which these photos were taken and used, and the comments made on them are only promoting and encouraging hate aimed at our children and our family."
Both families also discussed the importance of gun safety and how the NRA meetings are a safe location where children can ask experts about firearms.
"The meetings are a great place to safely interact with guns under the supervision of parents and gun manufacturers. We know that kids are naturally curious about firearms. And it's nice when we're there to answer their questions about each one and how to safely use them," the dad who spoke to Fox News Digital under the condition of anonymity said.
The families both said they are now dealing with commenters and news stories characterizing them as teaching their children "to be gun toting murderers" or "grooming future murderers."
"This is the honest truth. I got about an hour and a half sleep last night. I laid there awake all night thinking about, you know the potential ramifications for our grandson," Dan Eckart said, adding he believes the photographer’s pictures "endangered us."
Hunter slammed the photographer and the media for the photos and subsequent coverage as "exploiting minors."
"What is equally as distressing as a member of the press corps representing an allegedly respected news organization exploiting minors and misleading their parents is the fact that gun control groups were quick to jump on this matter and further exploit the images of these children on social media," Hunter said.
The Daily Mail and Insider did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
"For us as parents it definitely has been a really big eye-opener. Being a lot more protective of our children and future events going forward, this is always going to be in the back of our minds. Who is this organization from? Why are they taking this photo?" the dad who spoke under the condition of anonymity told Fox News Digital.
