A link from Instapundit to Pajamas TV’s drive to recruit citizen reporters to cover the anti-tax “tea party” protests across America intrigued me enough to make me click.

I’m a fan of the tea parties and have chastised the mainstream media for ignoring them. I’ve contemplated organizing an event myself, but as a journalist, I liked even better the idea that I might be able to contribute by covering one or more planned protests in my area.

I lost interest in PJTV’s project after a couple of clicks, though. That’s when I found the company’s “Citizen Reporter Agreement.”

PJTV fashions itself a new media innovator, but the contract is about as “old media” as they come. It takes advantage of citizens willing to volunteer their time to report the news while also imposing professional standards and heavy legal liability on their amateur work.

First, look at the contract terms that are all take and no give:

1. I understand that exposure to the PJTV audience is the only compensation I will receive for the rights I am granting below. I understand and agree that PJTV shall have no obligation to distribute or make my Images/Content available.

2. For and in consideration of exposure to the PJTV audience, I grant to PJTV a worldwide, perpetual, sublicensable, transferable license to use, display distribute, publicly perform and reproduce the Images in any manner and by any means, whether now known or hereafter devised, whether electronic or otherwise.

To put that legalese into redneck terminology: We can use your work however we see fit, forever and everywhere, and you get nothing but a tiny bit of space on a fledgling Internet news site.

Now for the professional standards and legal demands:

If I have interviewed an individual outside of a public event, I will get their consent on the video. … I agree that I will indemnify, defend and hold PJM harmless from and against any costs, losses, damages and expenses resulting from any claim, suit, action, or proceeding brought by any third party against PJTV alleging that the Images/Content have violated any rights of any third party.

The first demand isn’t too onerous; it’s just a simple matter of getting someone to say on camera that they agree to be interviewed. But even that is a bit much to require for free work.

The second demand is far worse. It says that not only will volunteer citizen reporters be responsible for their own legal fees if someone files a copyright suit, whether warranted or not; they’ll also have to pay for PJTV’s defense — and any damages.

Under those terms, any citizen should think twice before agreeing to feed content to PJTV. My advice is to just cover the events yourself and put the footage on YouTube, where you’ll get far more exposure, especially if you break a big story, and expose yourself to fewer legal hazards.