Frischling claims to have been on a Coast Guard boat that capsized

In addition to his unbelievable number of airplane near disasters, giant success Steven Frischling claims he was once on a Coast Guard rigid hull inflatable boat that "flipped over" (ie capsized) .

One of our faithful FishFraud fans saw that and for some reason suspected it was bullshit, and emailed the information officer for the United States Coast Guard for the Northeastern United States. The response:

"Thank you for your inquiry. Being that this alleged incident took place within the last 10 years, we don't have any knowledge on it. If you could narrow down the date, you could possible file a FOIA request for any MISHAP reports occurring at the Station during that time frame. I will say it does sound highly doubtful that a CG Station Jones Beach asset would have flipped, but again I cannot comment either way without more background information. Coast Guard members typically transfer stations every 3-4 years, and I couldn't find anyone with knowledge of this incident."

Any such incident would result in an investigation and most likely be available online, but nothing can be found. Here is the report for a capsized USCG vessel in Alaska:

So Frischling we need more information here. Your fans are fascinated by your adventures and need more information from you. If you really were on a U.S. Coast Guard vessel that "flipped," when did this occur? Edit to add: Frischling also claims to have pissed from a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter.

The Voices in Frischling's Head Are...

... Congressmen, apparently.

Frischling's Adventures in the "Homocide" Capital of America!

Another submission from a FishFraud VIP! All gold, but we've highlighted the most ridiculous parts:

While looking through the NPPA listserv I found several extremely exaggerated accounts of him "working" in East Palo Alto where he claims he spent lots of time doing narc raids and car chases in 1996. He also blows the number of homicides way way way out of proportion.

"There are a number of zones in the United States that pack just as much punch as the hot-spot of the week and never get coverage. Look at East Palo Alto, CA, in 1995 it was the homocide capitol of the US with almost 800 "suspicious" DOAs/homocides in this small roughly 2 mile city of 23,500 people, only 40 cops. I was there in 1996 frequently, it was a war zone (been cleaned up, literally by a new Sheriff). New Orleans' underbelly , and of course my home town "combat zone" the projects in Brooklyn."

For the record, East Palo Alto was the murder capital in the U.S. (per capita) in 1992 with 42 homicides. In 1995, they had six murders, not 800. For him to say that it was a war zone in 1996 is pure fiction.

http://articles.sfgate.com/1996-12-24/news/17788372_1_city-s-police-murders-police-officials

Here he talks about being shot at and involved in gun battles in East Palo Alto:

"Not to sound like an ass (which I am sure a number of you think I sound like often), sometimes close & scared is the only way to get the photo. I admit, as I have before, most of my firefight/gun fight photos were taken in NYC, Boston, D.C., Redwood City/East Palo Alto (CA) and other places in the U.S., but gun fight is a gun fight. Most of my gun drawn and aimed photos are on rooftops, in project stairways and backyards, most of the time 18mm-85mm because it is the only way ( I really suggest owning threat level 3 bullet-vest for this). I know it is very different from Nicaragua, but not far off. I know that I have been shot at to many times, and have bee thankul for wearing the Kevlar because I prefer a broken rib to a hole in me"

http://groups.google.com/group/bit.listserv.nppa-l/browse_thread/thread/9260d9ec7a10ef23/6aa5e4bbfb813047?hl=en&lnk=gst&q=steven+frischling+palo+alto#6aa5e4bbfb813047

More talk of "gun play" in East Palo Alto - the HOMOcide capitol

"I have a number of images of gun play upclose & personal, have a few photos of guns being aimed at me, photos of riot situations from inside the riot & so on, I do not need to travel to find the wars, they are here. I spend a lot of time when I can in the inner cities and in heavy drug & homocide areas , from parts of NYC to East Palo Alto (the homocide capitol of the US for 2 years)."

http://groups.google.com/group/bit.listserv.nppa-l/browse_thread/thread/e58f0ddff14081a9/931a0b99d288d5bb?hl=en&lnk=gst&q=steven+frischling+palo+alto#931a0b99d288d5bb

Then he was involved in a high-speed pursuit with the California Highway Patrol that ended in East Palo Alto. A look at 187 articles in the San Francisco Chronicle archive from 1996 yielded NO stories of high-speed chases, especially one involving eight sheriff/police departments chasing a 14-year-old boy through five cities and two counties:

"The California Highway Patrol, Golden Gate Division, is one such department that has lead perps in front of me on purpose durring a bust to make sure I got there face, esspecially is the perp still have the crime evidence in their hands, that way when the images are published the evidence is matter-of-fact. I find the expressions of perps add to the image and make it more dramatic, although sometimes no face is better. One photo where it works was taken in East Palo Alto, CA which had been the murder capital of the US in 92 & 93, the CHP unit I was with was lead on a chase that ended up involving the CHP, San Mateo & Santa Clara county sheriffs and the municipal police from 5 police departments (the chase went through 2 counties and 6 towns/cities). When the car finially slammed to a halt, I mean slammed, the driver drove up to a wall by accident. The photo shows the face of a 14 year old boy trying to hide his gun (later found to have been used in a murder) and conceal about 18 grams of cocaine, he is there looking scared and inncocent with 3 officers with shot guns advancing on him. The boy is guilty obviously, he was charged as an adult for drug trafficing, so in the eyes of the law I did not photograph a minor."

http://groups.google.com/group/bit.listserv.nppa-l/browse_thread/thread/393a55833055927b/ee0cad1b27995132?hl=en&lnk=gst&q=steven+frischling+palo+alto#ee0cad1b27995132

Apparently there were riots in East Palo Alto, although there are no records of any riots there, and a search of the Chronicle archives for 1996 shows NOTHING to support that claim.

"I see Brooklyn a lot (although the IRA bombings in the U.K. were more polite than the riots in East Palo Alto, CA)."

http://groups.google.com/group/bit.listserv.nppa-l/browse_thread/thread/3117b1dee0aaa72c/2eff63043d310151?hl=en&lnk=gst&q=steven+frischling+palo+alto#2eff63043d310151

So Frischling, where can we see your photos of these riots in East Palo Alto and of the boy hiding his gun and cocaine after that epic car chase? While you're searching your archives, can you find the photos of IRA bombings as well?

All these photos certainly sound captivating - why don't you put them on your portfolio?

An Impossible Truth: Frischling Claims He Flew on Air Force One with Al Gore!

Former Vice President Al Gore... in a photo NOT taken by Steven Frischling.

Another great submission by a loyal FishFraud reader:

Let's not forget this one about Frischling's claim to have flown on the President's 747 with Al Gore. Since he is a self-proclaimed aviation expert he would know that Al Gore had his own plane when he was in office and there aren't any trips that I could find where he would have flown on the president's 747 instead of his own Air Force Two plane, a modified 757. Also worth noting that he wasn't really affiliated with any agency at the time that would have put him in a seat on a flight on either one of those planes.

4/9/06 Flyertalk
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/545792-have-you-ever-seen-air-force-one-real-life-4.html#post5597624
"As a news photographer I have shot it's arrival, shot it's departure, stood under the wing.............and have flown on Air Force 2 (same plane, just had Al Gore on board instead of Clinton)

7/7/06 Flyertalk
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/545792-have-you-ever-seen-air-force-one-real-life-8.html#post6034911
"There are almost no photos available from the interior of AF One, except certain executive office areas. I have traveled on AF Two while working as a news photographer and remember explicit instructions that photography on board was banned, except during approved times in specific areas. When the Secret Services says this stuff you try to list (getting tossed from the press pool is bad, it tends to piss off your clients)."

This is pretty funny. Let me first give you a little background on who flies on Air Force one and two.

THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS POOL
The White House press pool for still photographers consists of AP, AFP, Reuters, a rotating "agency" pool (which Getty is part of) and a magazine/newspaper (currently held by the New York Times). AP, AFP and Reuters travel with the president everywhere and are considered the "tight pool". They travel on Air Force One, in motorcades and are always with the president when he has any movements. They are issued hard card White House press credentials. The agency pool only travels in presidential motorcades when the president has movements within close proximity to the White House. The agency pool rotates between (I believe) 8 agencies and commits a photographer from each agency to three days a month covering the White House. Photographers in the agency pool DO NOT (except on rare occasions) travel on Air Force One. The traveling press pool pays a hefty price to travel on AF1 and in motorcades with the president with an annual price tag in excess of a million dollars per agency. If other press does for some reason pay to go on of the president's overseas trips, they do not fly on AF1 but instead are put on a charter. These same rules pretty much apply to AF2.

It is very rare that photographers travel with the VP. But, in cases where they would, it would likely be members of the WH pool or a magazine/newspaper photographer (like NYT, Time or Newsweek) who had been granted special access. One exception was in the 2000 campaign. When Al Gore was campaigning for his bid to be president he used AF2 as his campaign plane and had members of the traveling press on board. I assume they also had a charter for overflow like Bush did during his campaign in 2004. During Bush's 2004 campaign only the WH wire pool flew on AF1, everyone else was on a charter. I have never seen any Al Gore photos by Frischling so that pretty rules out him being on Gore's campaign (if you have really covered a campaign for any length of time, you will be able to find pictures online). Also, photographers are dorks when it comes to having your photo taken in front of cool or unique planes that you have been on since riding on AF2 or any other plane like that is usually a once in a lifetime experience. Surely he would have had a photo of himself in front of AF2 before the flight. I know I have pictures of myself in front of planes like that.

Also he specifically states that he was actually on the president's 747 Air Force One plane, the VC25A "same plane, just had Al Gore on board instead of Clinton." The president's 747 is used almost exclusively by the president (with the rare exception like when Cheney took it on an extended trip to the Middle East in March of 2002. The VP's AF2 plane is a C-32, a modified 757. Al Gore used the AF2 757 plane during his 2000 campaign, not the AF1 747. My research didn't reveal any occasion where Gore flew on the 747 during his time in the White House. I assume that his claim of flying on AF2 was between 1998 and 2000 when he had no real affiliation with any wire service or agency which makes his claim even more absurd.

Link to info on Air Force One - http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/air-force-one
Link to info on Air Force Two - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Force_Two

For the 10 millionth time we ask... WHERE ARE THE PHOTOS of these excursions?

What kind of news photographer flies TWICE with the vice president of the United States of America and has NO photos to show for it?

Google Searches on Steven Frischling

Autocomplete shows you what people are looking for... and this humble blog has shot up to the first page.

Frischling Threatened with Treason, Held at Gunpoint with Schoolchildren!

A comment so good it had to be turned into its own post... thank you!

Definition of treason: the offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance or to kill or personally injure the sovereign or the sovereign's family

here he says a "friend" (didn't know he had any) was threatened with treason.

"In the past few years I have had friends face changes of treason, then face the charge myself for shooting that person in the place they were facing the charges.


What was that about? The photog shot a picture of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant, in Vernon, VT. The plant rises from a corn field, and is totally exposed to a river on one side. The plant had just failed US Gov't and NRC security tests, and that was a story. The photog shot a photo (of a plant I have shot inside more than 30 times over a 2 year period prior to this happening), then was arrested, and faced charges in the State of Vermont of treason. I shot a portrait of him following that, which ran in the Boston Globe, Brattleboro, VT, Reformer (the paper he worked for, I formerly worked for, and the local paper of the nukes plant), as well as other regional and national papers. I was then called and threatened with the charges."

http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=10755

"In my job I was facing the charge of Treason in Vermont for photographing the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Facility, in Vernon, VT. The plant rises from a corn field an cannot be missed. The year before this incident I had been inside the plant for assignments for a total of 15 days. My troubles were shooting a portrait of a photographer who was being charged with treason for shooting the plant."

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/549730-whats-penalty-taking-pictures-jail-2.html#post5665629

but wait, there's more...

here he was held by authorities for FOUR hours...

"I was shooting a story on security outside a nukes plant in CT. I had a letter from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, as well I spoke to the nukes plant PR folks, and stood on a public road, in plain site, shooting the armoured vehicles outside. I was held for about 4hrs by the Connecticut State Police, and had my car searched, everything emptied. My credentials verified (although Conn does not issue any credentials). I could not use my cell phone, or leave the area of the police cruiser. When I was done, and started to leave, the Conn. Nat. Grd MPs pulled me over, and detained me for quite a while, trying to find out why the Conn. State Police had stopped me."

http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=10755

but here it is now SEVEN!!

"In Connecticut I was held for 7 hours for photographing people fishing behind the Millstone Nuclear Power Plant. I had a letter from the Nuclear Regulartory Commision, the answer I was given by the Conn State Police was that Millstone does not answer to the NRC (which is wrong, they very much answer to the NRC)."

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/549730-whats-penalty-taking-pictures-jail-2.html#post5665629

here he says he was approached at gunpoint with 20 school kids on a pier...

"In New Haven, CT, I was photographing an oil storage farm for a story on a US$1bil sale of one of the companies in the harbour. I was approached by half-a-dozen cops (and a news crew!) at gun point as I stood on the public pier in a hawiian shirt with two large lenses (more than a foot in length on one of them) that are wrapped in purple and orange tape. The lead officer was screaming at me to put my cameras down, he then started to ask me why I was trying to hide (in a hawiian shirt with lenses wrapped in purple & orange tape on a public pier??). What made this worse was 20 or so elementry school students were on the pier as they came at me with guns drawn. I stayed up right, ID'd myself a few times and more than once told the cop to holster his weapon (which was not such a good idea). The New Haven Police would not recognize my NYPD credential, FDNY credentials, Mass State Police Credential, Vermont State Police, United Nations, US Senate, San Mateo County Sheriff's Dept, Santa Clara County Sheriff or the Dept. of Defense.......Connecticut has no state or municipal issued credentials."

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/549730-whats-penalty-taking-pictures-jail-2.html#post5665629

yet here he says it wasn't at gunpoint and no mention of kids....

"I was shooting a business story on the sale of a number of fuel farm storage tanks in New Haven. These tanks are very visible from I-95 & I-91. They are open to the waterways, side roads, hotels, interstate which cut through New Haven. Prior to shooting this fuel farm I called the USCG PIO for Division 1, and the New Haven Police. I told them what I was doing, trying to head off a problem. While shooting I turned around and saw a new van pull into the parking lot, along the Long Island Sound, I was parked in. I then saw a number of NHPD, DOD Police and a Conn State Police cruiser pull into the lot. They surrounded my wife as she tried to read a book for school demanding to know if there were cameras in the car. She said no, they ordered her out of the car, she told them I had the cameras (I was holding a 300f2.8, 400f2.8, 70-200f2.8 and 17-35f2.9, and a Hawaiian shirt on the end of a public pier, not trying to hide). One officer approached me very quickly, his hand at his side and his holder unflapped, although the gun was in the holster. This cop ordered me down, I kept
walking asking him what the hell was going on. He demanded my credentials, I told him that Connecticut issues no credentials, and asked what I would do if I only worked in CT with no credentials. After some back and forth I handed him my credentials, they called and verified the credentials with the NYPD, Mass State PD and US Senate. The cops kept telling me the massive fuel farm was a target and needed to know where the photos would appear, I told them I was shooting for a news service with about 1,200 daily newspaper clients. The cop said that was fine as long as they were "legit" newspapers. He then began to tell me that I should not be so elusive when shooting (again, two long lenses, and a Hawaiian shirt). "

http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=10755

another variation of the fuel tank story:

http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=1503

now there is only six officers and their guns are in their holsters.

and yet another variation....

"How about having my car surrounded, and forced to my stomache by a New Haven Detective while shooting a photo for a business story of oil storage farms off the Long Island Sound,which can be seen from two interstates, and out the window of a popular restaurant. They said the 400f2.8 was suspicious, which it may very well be, but after he checked mu IDs, he had my wife get out of our car and he searched it for additional cameras, which made no sense."

http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=3944

and one more....

"A few years ago in New Haven, CT, while photographing the huge oil storage farms for a business story (a company was sold in a multi-billion dollar deal) I was out on the end of a public pier shooting. I was wearing tan board shorts, a bright Hawaiian shirt had three bodies with a 17-35f2.8, 70-200f2.8, 400f2.8, all wrapped in bright orange & purple tape.


Prior to shoot there I had called the USCG First District Public Affairs desk and the New Haven PIO. I didn't need to, but I didn't want a problem.


At some point I noticed my wife's '83 bright yellow Volvo surrounded by cops demanding to know where there camera were. She pointed to me and cops from the NHPD, State Police and DOD Police came at me. One office, an NHPD Lt., had his weapon out of the holster screaming at me demanding to know why I was trying to hide.


......now if I was hiding would I be in plain site, on a public pier, in a Hawiian shirt with a 400f2.8 wrapped in bright purpleand orange tape?


This yutz would not accept my press credentials from the US Senate Press Photogs Gallery, the United Nations, NYPD, Mass State Police or other easily verifiable organizations. He demanded my Connecticut press credentials......Conn issues no press cards and this guy didn't seem to know that."

http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=29618

Frischling, it isn't even a challenge to find contradictions to your stories. damn dude, you could have made it a little more difficult. a four year old or one of the 20 school kids could uncover your lies.

Breaker! Breaker! Steven Frischling Caught In Yet Another Lie

Steven Frischling's autobiography

The sleuths in the FishFraud Mickey Mouse club used their secret decoder rings (otherwise known as their eyeballs) to expose another hilarious Steven Frischling tale.

This one came from a 2004 post on the Sportsshooter message board regarding police scanners. Naturally, Frischling, the expert on all things, is the first one to reply. He says this about licenses:

"In every state a Ham licenses allows you to carry a scanner. You can get a No-Code Ham licenses at Radio Shack, just buy the book, fill out a form and send it in."

Someone immediately responds to correct him:

"As for the license itself, it takes more than filling out a from. In order to obtain a "no code" Technician license, you must pass a written exam (not hard) that's administered by FCC approved Volunteer Examiners."

As usual, Frischling does not apologize for his goof but insists he got his license this way, now substituting the word "exam" for "form."

"When I got my HAM license, back in 92 (I have no idea what my identifier is, I know, I am a poor excuse for a geek :0) ) I got the book at Radio Shack. Read it for about an hour, took the exam, and that was it.

Pretty easy.

I got my HAM because Suffolk County, Long Island, was being a pain in the butt about a mobile mounted scanner in a car."

The same guy responds...

"If you were a tech and got your license in 1992, then it should have expired in 2002. There's a two year grace period in renewing your license, so depending on when it was issued in 1992 you may still be able to renew it for the cost of a stamp. I pulled out my 1996 Callbook CD and tried to look you up and see when it expired, but I didn't get a hit."

Frischling does not offer an explanation of this but his story gets wilder... once again claiming he was the victim of police harassment:

"I have my HAM license somewhere. I thought it expired about a year ago. I will probably try and renew, or take the exam again. As stated, my primary reason for getting the license was to deal with a Suffolk County Police Officer who seemed to give me me hell often at scenes (of course I was 17, but I was shooting for legit news outlets, so I'm sure I was the easiest target).

I used to keep the info in my car, until I got my Nassau County Police press credential (he would not take my NYPD one for some reason)."

Once again the other guy responds:

"I have a 1996 Callbook CD, but I can't see a "Frischling" using the name search. If you need help, let me know the address you lived at when you were licensed and I'll take a look for you."

But Frischling insists he should be there!

"I should be there....I'm pretty sure my name was "Frischling" since June of 1975 :0)"

But guess what? A search of all active and expired licensees only brings up one Frischling - someone named David Frischling of Maine. Search for yourself:

http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/searchAdvanced.jsp

So what's the deal Frischling? Why aren't you listed?

Oh and where can we find your licensing information for the time you claimed you worked as a firefighter/EMT?

Thanks to the FishFraud fans for sending this to us and posting it on comments!

Steven Frischling's Lies About 9/11

Lying fool Steven Frischling has been all over Twitter the past few days, posting links to his blurry photos from Sept. 11, 2001. He even claimed he was in NYC on assignment for two agencies on 9/11.

Back in February, we first posted his lies about this tragic day. If you think you can't hate this guy more, check it out:

Steven Frischling's Lies About 9/11

Steven Frischling: The World's Most Accident-Prone Blogger

In addition to his multiple injuries, accidents, celebrity/police assaults and escaping natural disasters, lying TSA blogger Steven Frischling bragged on Twitter today that he had experienced FOUR rejected takeoffs (RTO). Naturally, FishFraud fans called bullshit on this immediately.

What is a rejected takeoff? That is when your plane bails out of taking off because of some technical problem or distraction. This is not some boarding delay, but where the pilots begin their ascent down the runway and end up aborting the takeoff due to emergency.

Our SMART readers, who are real experts in aviation, point out:

5:30, 49 CFR Part 830 deals with NTSB notifications. Specifically, 830.5 (a)(12) (ii) states that NTSB notification is required for "Any event in which an aircraft operated by an air carrier...experiences a runway incursion that requires the operator or the crew of another aircraft or vehicle to take immediate corrective action to avoid a collision."

An RTO, or Rejected Take Off, would be immediate corrective action and it would be reported to the NTSB. Yet a search of the NTSB database for accidents and incidents at HVN turns up no such event.

@DWiermans Dash-8s are really loud in the cabin, but everyone heard "Watch that G-d damn fire truck!" from the cockpit

Really?!?! The Dash 8 is an FAR 121 aircraft requiring a closed cockpit door. Furthermore, it has a built in intercom and the pilots typically wear the heavy David Clark type headsets. Interior noise and vibration are at their worst during take off.

Sitting behind the pilots backs, behind a closed cockpit door, between the engines and propellers at take off power it is very doubtful you heard much of anything except your own imagination. Why don't you stick to BSing us with 5th Freedom Rights instead.

Further:

@DWiermans @flightblogger I've had four RTOs, first was an @USAirways Fokker F100 a BUF. I recall the sharp left turn onto the grass.
*****
Searching the FAA's Accident/Incident Database System (covering the period from 1978 to the present) there are 9 reports at BUF involving Fokker aircraft operated by USAir. Only one of these was an aborted take off. It happened on Jan. 7, 1990, the aircraft was a Fokker F28, and "NR2 ENGINE VIBRATION. ABORTED. RETURNED TO GATE. SECOND ROW COMPRESSOR BLADE FAILED AND WENT THROUGH ENGINE."

As for the RTO at HVN on USAir, it doesn't appear in the database.

http://www.asias.faa.gov/portal/page/portal/asias_pages/asias_home/datainfo
Click on first link, FAA Accident/Incident Data System

According to the FAA's "Pilot Guide to Takeoff Safety," RTOs occur only once in every 3,000 flights. Statistically that means, odds are, Frischling would have had to been part of 12,000 takeoffs.

So, let's say these four RTOs occurred since he was 18 years old. That would work out to more more than 700 takeoffs a year. That's nearly two takeoffs PER DAY.

That's pretty hard to believe, especially since the evidence shows Frischling, the great airline blogger, has taken two trips over the past 10 months.

The odds of experiencing a 1:3000 event four times is about 1:81,000,000,000,000.

That's 1 in 81 Trillion.

Don't you think the PR people at Tweed New Haven Regional Airport (HVN) would be interested in knowing that local blogger Steven Frischling is fabricating airline emergencies at their airport, where passengers can hear pilots screaming from the cockpit?

Maribel Lota
(203) 466-8833 ext. 100
mlota@flytweed.com

Lori Hoffman
(203) 466-8833 ext. 102
lhoffman@flytweed.com

Travel Blogger Steven Frischling's Lies about TWA Flight 800

TWA Flight 800 exploded over the ocean after takeoff from JFK airport on July 17, 1996, killing all 230 people on board. "Travel blogger" Steven Frischling, living on Long Island at the time, took a photo outside a Coast Guard station that shows ambulances.

Frischling has since, in various forums over the past 15 years, exploited the tragedy of Flight 800 by describing scenes he could not possibly have seen and bragged about money he could not possibly have made from photos that could not possibly exist.

Prepare to be offended.

Only weeks after the accident, Frischling responds to a spammer on a newsgroup to brag he made more than $2,000 in six hours because 230 people died one night:

alt.journalism.photo: "Great CASH GAINS" (8/3/1996)

"6hrs at TWA Flight 800, I was the only non-related civilian on the US Coast Gaurd base, I made over $2,000 in 6 hrs........."

A few years later, that amount has climbed to $7,000+:

Sports Shooter: "Stringing for AP" (12/1/2003)

"The last assignment I really shot for the AP was in the morgue the night TWA Flight 800 crashed off Long Island. AP got it's five or six photos for $180 (x2 because of the time I invested, and access I was able to get without their help) plus miles, and I managed to get $7,000 from Newsweek for photos they never ran in their North American editions."

Contrast that to six years earlier, when he claimed he had banked nearly a year's salary that night, and also makes the absurd claim of being inside the makeshift morgue! First, it is doubtful the authorities would have allowed a photographer in that morgue, and if they had, don't you imagine that those photos would been seen all over the world?

NPPA-L: "Who Makes What...some actual numbers" (7/20/1997)

"then again I left a few days before TWA 800, was the only photog on thebase or in the morgue that night and made a little less that the yearly salary in one night..."

He repeats this claim about the morgue in 2008, and now brags he has been at "multiple plane crashes!"

FlyerTalk: "anyone ever been through an aborted takeoff/landing?" (5/14/2008)

"Having shot around multiple plane crashes in my news career, including being the pool photog in the make shift morgue for a 747 that blew up, I'm not keen on being on crashing planes. I'd rather shoot news than be news."

But being in the vicinity of a plane crash and making a fortune off it is not dramatic enough for Steven Frischling.  In 1999 he hijacked a thread about the Columbine school shooting in Littleton, Colo., to grab some attention for himself by overstating his connection to Flight 800. He admits to making "bad jokes about TWA 800" (he's all class!) but you must understand, he needs to make these jokes! Even three years later, it is all Frischling can do to get through each day after the hell he witnessed that night!

NPPA-L: "Littleton, Tornadoes, etc." (5/5/1999)

"I know I have made a number of bad jokes about TWA 800, but I also know that I never want to see my negatives again from the night the 747 crashed. Making jokes, seeming all confident and strong is what kept me and keeps me from falling down in a ball of tears."

What a sensitive soul.

He also claims a county detective ripped the film from his camera, and describes distraught Coast Guard "boys" standing over stacks of body bags!

NPPA-L: "seeking police contacts" (2/22/1998)

"I think most of us have faced this. While on the USCG base the night TWA Flight 800 crashed an over zealous Suffolk County Detective,who had no offical power, as he was ona federal military base, where I was a guest, ripped the film from my camera, he was escortd from the base, and the base X.O. filed a complaint against him."

NPPA-L: "to die for?" (9/29/1997)

"5 photos were taken durring actual rescues, including photos of USCG rescuers over a stack of body bags the night TWA 800 crashed just outside the morge, these men(boys really) are holding each other and holding in tears"

This guy is literally unbelievable.

Extra thoughts come from a commenter, who clearly knows a thing or two about news photography:

"If he was actually on an assignment for AP he would have not been able to sell his images to Newsweek for what he is describing as a high fee for first look (to get exclusive images in order to beat out the other news mags) AP would have owned his film.

If he was pool for the morgue his images would have appeared on all the wire services, but they do not.

If he had been INSIDE the morgue he would have had access to powerful images that would have surely run all over the place. I have never seen one.

There is ONE photo on the AP wire of the exterior of a coast guard station with ambulances parked in front. Nothing from inside. No dramatic photo of Coasties holding back tears as they stack body bags."

Another commenter:

"I have googled, binged and yahooed every possible variation of TWA flight 800 morgue as well as East Moriches Coast Guard TWA morgue and have come up with nothing other then a reporter who won a Pulitzer Prize for his story about the morgue following the crash of TWA 800. I looked on the AP wire, AFP and UPI - not a single pool picture of body bags stacked or anything from inside or outside a morgue on the night the plane crashed. The photos that Frischling describes would have ran EVERYWHERE and would still have a presence on the web. Weeping Coasties and body bags? Hell, a picture like that might have even been a contender for the Pulitzer. I think the real story is that he shot the outside of this building using direct flash and that was about it. Like I said, if he had been the pool photographer, all of those pictures would have been shared with all of the wire services and he wouldn't have made a dime on resales because the market would have been saturated with those photos since they would have been distributed by multiple outlets."

Do you find this offensive that anyone would exploit the deaths of 230 people in such a manner? Do you find it absurd that this giant tool still has a travel blog on BoardingArea.com? Meet Randy Petersen, the owner of BoardingArea and founder of FlyerTalk, who refuses to remove Frischling's blog despite being well informed about his actions. In fact, it would appear Randy Petersen even pays Steven Frischling a share of the money from the advertising on the site! (Do you think BoardingArea.com advertisers know what their ads are appearing next to?) By the way you can email Randy Petersen at randy@boardingarea.com to ask why he still keeps Frischling as one of his bloggers, whom he claims are all "hand selected" by his "team!"

Randy Petersen, BoardingArea.com founder

Steven Frischling Was Shot... 9 Times!

Did this Kevlar helmet take a bullet for Frischling?

A faithful FishFraud fan just shared the following gem from the archives of the National Press Photographers Association listserv! While we had posted Steven Frischling's claim of being shot before, this goes into more exciting detail.

Not only is Frischling claiming he was shot on two separate occasions, he was apparently riddled with bullets!

It appears he is claiming he was shot with two bullets entering his body, while another time he had seven bullets enter his bullet-proof vest and Kevlar helmet! Yes, the kind of helmets soldiers wear in Iraq. He claims one shooting happened in "the projects" and another shooting "elsewhere" (possibly fantasy land).

Notably, it appears he posted this in the first place after being called out on his "I'm such a victim" attitude by a guy named Keith Morrison.

bit.listserv.nppa-l: Other Side Of The Lens/ K. Morrison

Steven Frischling, Aug. 11, 1998

>The attitude of 'poor little me' is more than just a but disturbing to me.

Keith,

I was not asking for sympathy, I called myself an idiot if you read the post (sort of eliminates the need for sympathy). I was speaking in the first person, sort of asking in the 3rd person (can one really write in the 2nd person with out writing a "choose your own adventure" ?)

I am just curious if anyone outside our profession gives a $#!+? Yes we as PhotoJs choose to be in these situations (and nice to mention EMTs/Medics , because on certain calls they have the right to try and pass the call to another unit, I know I did twice when on an ambulance), but with out images the general public usually has not a clue what happened, then again sometimes after the situation the general public does not have a clue what happened (like when a paper misses the story, even when they have photos, but no reporter) .

You are correct I had a lovely encpounter with a flying metal projective (twice in me, 7 times in a vest...all at once) while in the projects , another another time elsewhere. I knew my risks, which is why I own a bullet vest and a kevlar helmet, but that does not detract from the fears PJs have, dangers PJs face and risks we as a profession often put ourselves in. Take me out of the equalsion , because there are many more photogs that get injured more than I do, and walk into worse situations more often that I do....what about them? Do we as PJs give up our ability to be humans once we have a lens? I know we do on some level, because we choose to watch the world rather than "be in it" at times, but we are all still humans first.

I doubt any PJ got into the business for the "cool vests" , and I would like to believe that thse who got into this job because it is "cool" do not get to far, and fall back inthe pack. There are risks, some are good, some are bad. Some PJs walk away from the centre of teh storm,
and that is fine, most of te stories exist outside the centre or the storm, everyday life and death happens on the outside looking in, not in the core looking to the epi-centre.

I wonder if you missed the point Keith, not looking for "poor me" , or for "poor us", I am just curious if anyone on the outside looking in on our photos cares if we get home OK, even if just a passing thought.

Happy Hunting

Steven E. Frischling
News Photographer/News Photo Editor
In Search Of A Good Stress Managment Program
1(516)791-6114
1(800)225-0256 PIN# 56865
ste...@frischling.com
http://www.frischling.com/steven
-
-It's all about good and evil, life and death, so what do we do when the
demons start to win, and we slowly pray for death?

Nice signature quote.

So Steven Frischling, when and where did these shootings occur? Where are the scars that back up your claim of having had two bullets enter your body?

Quick quiz class! Exactly how many times was Steven Frischling shot by age 23?

Happy Lying!

Frischling Lies About Flying with Coast Guard!

The U.S. Coast Guard HU-25 does not allow for inflight refueling. Giggle. 

Isn't Steven Frischling supposed to be an aviation expert? Isn't that what he sells himself as?

On the FlyerTalk message board, Frischling claimed that while on assignment covering the U.S. Coast Guard,  he flew for 24 hours straight and says that the plane was refueled in flight.

Big problem: The Coast Guard does not have any aircraft in their fleet that can be refueled in flight. A most excellent FishFraud contributor called the Public Affairs office at Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod to confirm that the HU-25 cannot be refueled in flight.

And about there being no bathroom... do you think the Coast Guard would really fly for 24 hours straight if there wasn't a bathroom on board?

"What was your longest flight on a narrow body plane?"
FlyerTalk, 4/11/06

"The worst was flying (as a journalist) with a US Coast Guard unit on a HU-25 Guardian (small, very small, no bathroom, almost no seats) from Maine to Florida 3 times non-stop (inflight refueling) . Wheels up to Wheels down was 24hrs."

Steven Frischling, how can you have flown for 24 hours on a plane that is not capable of inflight refueling? And where can we see the photos from this 24-hour assignment?

Happy Lying!

PS We think the odds are pretty good that after it was refueled inflight with Frischling on board, the HU-25 then flew an inverted dive over a Soviet fighter jet, and he flipped the bird:

Is that Frischling communicating with the enemy?

This Just In... Steven Frischling Exposed to Anthrax!!

In addition to being shot; being struck by flying debris and burned on 9/11; being assaulted by police, actor Hugh Grant and a college basketball player; being held at gunpoint numerous times; being sickened by airborne pathogens after Hurricane Katrina; being hit directly by a teargas canister during a riot; losing a kidney in a professional snowboard race, being burned in fires; being threatened with arrest for treason; having hurricanes rip the roof off a building he was in and surviving cancer.... unlucky/extremely lucky photographer-turned-blogger Steven Frischling was exposed to anthrax!

Isn't it amazing what our hero will go through to bring home the photos nobody ever gets to see?

Sports Shooter, 09/11/03
http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=3944

"By the way TD, I also stood on Ground Zero on Sept 11, was hit by flying debris when 7 World Trade Centeer collapsed, and was in the Hart Senate Building the day they found Anthrax in a senators office.....so I know what it is like to be good and scared by acts of terrorism.....but my freedom is what makes me,and every American, different than the rest of the world"

Since he was exposed, he obviously needed to be given massive antibiotics:

Sports Shooter, 02/25/03
http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=1252

"My D1 has survied fast moving concrete as 7 World Trade Center collapsed 1.5 blocks from me on Sept 11 in NYC, a direct hit from a tear gas canister being fired from riot cops in my direction, other random riot action, being run over by Ricky Williams (Miami Dolphins) in Dec, me being put on Cirpo (it did not need the Cipro) after Anthrax was found in the Hart Senate Building, many hours and photos following politicians, trials, executives, The Olympics, etc etc etc."

Happy Lying!

Steven Frischling Sickened by Hurricane Katrina!

Can you imagine a major news event happening without Steven Frischling somehow getting involved? He certainly can't.

Frischling claims he was in New Orleans right after Hurricane Katrina struck, where our hero had to deal with menacing gangs and airborne pathogens! In fact, it was even scarier than his imaginary trip to a war zone in Basrah!

There are no photos anywhere that would support Steven Frischling being in New Orleans right after Hurricane Katrina. However, that didn't stop him from bragging about his exploits on FlyerTalk and Digital Wedding Forum (where no doubt he thought he would not encounter any news photographers who were actually there).

"What is the scariest City you have traveled to?"
FlyerTalk, 2/21/08

"Basrah, Iraq.................you know the brochure said the war was officially over. Apparently no one told the folks hiding out with AK-47s and RPGs. Other than that, having covered war, riots and natural disaster, I would have to say New Orleans, in the Lower 9th Ward about 8 days after Hurricane Karina when the gangs started to move back in."

Eight days after Hurricane Katrina, according to our research, the Lower 9th Ward was about 60 percent underwater. There were journalists there, who report that there were no gangs there. And no Steven Frischling.

Here's a photo we found that shows this area, about 12 days after Katrina struck. Are the gangs hiding under the water?

But not only that... the Frischling health curse strikes again! He claims he became "incredibly ill" after being exposed to "an airborne pathogen!" (But our hero still kept working, naturally.)

Digital Wedding Forum, 11/28/08

"I was in NoLA covering the devastation of Katrina. I didn't feel safe anywhere in the city during this time. Despite becoming incredibly ill due to an airborne pathogen, I kept working, but most of the city was unstable and I preferred to only go into areas with a law enforcement or National Guard presence."

Bullshit. Think of the thousands of people out there, including rescuers, journalists, National Guard, etc., some of whom were actually in the contaminated water. Yet Frischling is the one who got sick?

The following article debunks the notion that people were getting sick right after Katrina.

http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/articles/2007/04/hurricane-katrina-s-impact.aspx

"There really haven't been any exposures to anything out of the ordinary. Nothing," states Deoine Reed, PhD, infection control manager and epidemiologist with the Tulane University Hospital system and the Ochsner Clinic Foundation. "It is kind of disappointing because we were hoping to see something, but nature has it so it actually can protect the people somehow. It's positive, good news. Nobody's getting infected."

Have any airborne or waterborne pathogen transmission been reported in Louisiana since the hurricane? "Yeah, but nothing different from the usual," says La. State epidemiologist Raoult Ratard, MD, MPH. Ratard says Louisiana experienced the usual flu season and upper respiratory diseases, but, "It does not look like it was more than usual," he says.

Even if Frischling had been there at this time and became ill, how would he know it was due to an airborne pathogen unless he was thoroughly tested somewhere? And since this was such a rare occurrence, wouldn't it be reported to authorities and discussed in the medical community? Wouldn't these medical experts in Louisiana have heard about it?

So Frischling, where are your photos from post-Katrina New Orleans? Surely photos from one of the largest natural disasters ever would make it onto your own website. Did airborne pathogens sicken your camera too? Where can we see these photos?

Update: A faithful reader posted the following comment with quotes from Frischling, indicating he was nowhere near New Orleans eight days after Hurricane Katrina:

Katrina hit August 29.

On September 6 at 12:38 am - 8 days later Fish posts the following on Sportsshooter.com, which clearly indicates that he's still at home.

"->> We spent the morning gathering up clothes and sent down two boxes of mens clothes, women's clothes, materinty clothes, kids clothes and a nice LL Bean baby backpack (easiest way I know for someone to haul a baby around, they probably need it more than I do right now).

I am sure we'll send what we can down again soon."

Later that same day at 10:20 pm he posts:

"->> I just found out my company donated US$40,000 to the relief effort, following thier £25,000 donation following the attacks in London.

It is nice to know that my corporation has a heart."

http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=17256

Now of course, maybe he then hopped into his Mercedes Benz 300D Turbo which goes 150 mph. "(My Mercedes turbo diesel will do about 150, but the tires are rated for 130)" 

http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=9935 

Of course, he has the only one that goes this fast - as the rest of the world owns the ones with a top speed of maybe 120. http://www.europeancarweb.com/editorial/epcp_0506_mercedes_benz_300d/index.html

Happy Lying!

Blogger Steven Frischling Lies About Being in Iraq

Of all the gross lies and exaggerations from Steven Frischling we have posted thus far, his tales about Iraq are possibly the most damning and offensive. (Yes, even more offensive than his lies about Sept. 11.)

Let's review the evidence and then take a look at his tales.

The RAF sometimes goes on patrol when they are not drinking in front of Steven Frischling.

Steven Frischling made his first (and evidently only) trip to Iraq in May 2003. He was not embedded with any unit. It was a public relations trip with Richard Branson (founder of Virgin) to drop off humanitarian aid at the airport in Basra. As Frischling brags repeatedly at every point, the total time on the ground was six hours. He never left the airport. The British provided security at the airport and Frischling has a picture of one of their armored vehicles in front of a sign at the airport.

His second trip to "Iraq" was in February 2004 as an embedded photographer for five days on a Coast Guard boat patrolling the Gulf, miles off the coast of Iraq. He claims to have been sent on assignment by Bloomberg News, but that is likely false. It would appear he paid his own way there and made arrangements to sell his photos to multiple agencies.

"All of my ventures into Iraq were for Bloomberg News. Bloomberg is a Financial News Service." Digital Wedding Forum, 5/22/07

However, the same photos from his boat trip appear on WorldPicturesNews (search for Frischling Iraq") and Getty tagged as Bloomberg. Bloomberg, according to our research, would not send a photographer on assignment and then allow him or her to resell the same images to some web agency. Outtakes, yes, but not the same images it paid for.

There are no other discussions, photographs or message board threads that would support Steven Frischling's claim of going to Iraq any other time.

However, as you will see, Steven Frischlings claims to have been to Iraq multiple times, has been shot at, has had "things exploding" near him, has been embedded with the Royal Air Force, spent "weeks" shooting in 120 degrees in Basra, had cameras fail in Iraq due to excessive dirt, has spent two weeks with the Coast Guard in Iraq, has won awards for his coverage of the Iraq war, and has hung out with drunken British soldiers in Basra!

It's all quite literally unbelievable.

Let's start with clarifying just how long he was on that Coast Guard ship...

"I recently received an e-mail from someone while I was overseas. I was unable to get online, or get any e-mail for five days, as I was in the middle of the Arabian Gulf on a Coast Guard Cutter." SportsShooter, 2/17/04

But that time suddenly grew from five days into two weeks!

"On an assignment in Iraq I had two 1D bodies and a 10D. One 1D's CCD became filthy and I switched to a 1D/10D combo. While I was extremely impressed with the performance of the 10D for the two weeks it was attached to me" Digital Wedding Forum 2/28/07

"While out with the US Coast Guard in Iraq one of my 1D CCDs got so dirty I switched to the 10D (my backup). The EOS 10D did almost 2 weeks with me in Iraq, out in some really nasty conditions and it performed flawlessly." Digital Wedding Forum, 7/30/06

He claims he has been to Iraq "multiple times" as well as other "areas of conflict" (WHERE ARE THE PHOTOS?)

"I have been to Iraq multiple times as a photographer, as well as other areas of conflict. When I have gone into an area of conflict I have to weigh my safety and security vs the subject I am shooting." Digital Wedding Forum, 11/08

His photos from Iraq were so fantastic, they won awards... (WHICH ONES?!)

"I have won awards for photos I have shot in the US, Canada the UK and Iraq. Does that make me international award winning? The awards are all US awards though (and I don't list them anywhere on my resume or profile because really, I don't put alot of stock in awards)" Digital Wedding Forum, 7/7/06

Remember his photo of the Royal Air Force at the Basra airport? Now he's been embedded with them!

"I was also an embedded journalist with both the British Military and the United States Military in Iraq." Digital Wedding Forum, 11/24/07

"I have been to Iraq with both the USGC and the RAF." Digital Wedding Forum, 5/22/07

Not only was he embedded with the Royal Air Force, he claims the British soldiers were drunk! Our photographer sources, who have photos to prove they actually have been to war zones, are adamant that alcohol is strictly prohibited in a combat zone and on bases and they never witnessed drunken American or British soldiers.

"Your wedding sounds scarier than my trips to Iraq in the past few years!.........although I was with some drunken heavily armed members of the RAF at one point in Basrah. Luckily a wedding didn't break out!" Digital Wedding Forum, 12/12/05

He claims to have suffered through extreme heat for weeks in Basra, with temperatures up to 120 Farenheit. Average temperature in May is 95 degrees Farenheit. Had he been there in the summer when it actually gets that hot (in the summer instead of in May), he would have surely mentioned the extreme humidity that they experience in Basra due to its proximity to the Gulf.

"I spent two weeks out shooting in weather than would go from around 120F in the day time to a cool 90F in the evenings while out in Basrah, Iraq." Digital Wedding Forum, 7/8/07

Not only was it hot, but he's been under attack! (NO PHOTOS TO BACK THIS UP)

"no more trips to a hot desert with things being fired at me or items exploding near me." Digital Wedding Forum, 2/8/07

He claims he's captured "scenes of war" (NO PHOTOS TO BACK THIS UP)

"I have documented the psychological struggle of first responders, the problems officers face when working in drug infested housing projects, the aftermath of hurricanes and floods, the scenes and emotions and two terrorist attacks (1993 and 2001) in NYC, been in the morgue following plane crashes and the scenes of war, as well as other life shaping events" Digital Wedding Forum, 5/22/07

He brags he was in "an active combat zone" (NO PHOTOS TO BACK THIS UP)

"I have worked in some close quarters, under some very intense situations. Walking into a house with paramedics to watch them tell a woman her father is dead and they need to call the coroner; working 1-on-1 with a presidential candidate ; getting into nasty situations while documenting law enforcement; being in the field in an active combat zone with the military, etc......these are things that have all taught how to be a fly on the wall."  Digital Wedding Forum, 7/19/07

It gets better. He claims to have nearly been "detained" for mouthing off to a "state trooper" in front of the state trooper's "supervisor" at a TSA checkpoint on his way to Basra for having a bulletproof vest. This is absurd considering he was only going to the heavily fortified airport. (Why would a TSA agent be seeking advice and assistance from a state trooper at an airport security checkpoint?)

"A few months ago my wise @$$ mouth almost got me detained before an international flight. I had my bullet proof vest in my carry on (I only had carry on) when security pulled it from my bag and handed it to a State Trooper at Logan airport. The Trooper asked "What is this?" My response was "You should know, you're wearing one." He asked why I had it and I told him I was off to Basrah, he responded with "I've heared it is pretty safe in the southern region of Iraq ." my response was "There were four shooting homocides in the Yukon Territory last year and a few hundred dead in Southern Iraq yesterday, I'll be sure to leave my vesy home when I go to Canada."
The Trooper was not amussed, luckily his supervisor was there and actully was ammused and prevented the Statie from taking my stuff to another area to have a little chat with me.....whew." Sports Shooter, 10/4/03

His cameras have seen it all and have "survived" (as they should) so many important "assignments"

"All the bodies have 1,000,000+ frames shot. Two of the bodies have survived multiple assignments in Iraq, all have enjoyed stints at the Final Four, World Series, Presidential pool gigs, etc........." Digital Wedding Forum, 9/16/07

"My bodies have not only done weddings, but have also been to war with me, riots with me, blown thousands of cycles covering NFL seasons MLB seasons, NCAA football, basketball and hockey seasons along with the daily assignments that don't require as much abuse." Digital Wedding Forum, 8/17/06

He claims that his camera got so dirty it was unusable. Keep in mind he was on the water at the time, where dirt should not be an issue.

"My 1D bodies have been to hell and back, literally and been just fine. While out with the US Coast Guard in Iraq one of my 1D CCDs got so dirty I switched to the 10D (my backup). The EOS 10D did almost 2 weeks with me in Iraq, out in some really nasty conditions and it performed flawlessly" Digital Wedding Forum, 7/30/06

"My lenses have survived riots, floods, hurricanes, war zones, blizzards, disaster sites and yes even a few weddings" Digital Wedding Forum, 3/9/07

He claims he was going to be embedded with US Air Force 439 AeroMed Evac Squadron but his adoring girlfriend Susannah Seefeldt refused to let him go. (Was the 439, which appears to be a reservist unit, even involved in Iraq at this time?)

"She nixed me going to cover the 439 AeroMed Evac Squadron as a short term "embed" photog. I really wanted to shoot it, but she was certain she did not want me to go, so I stayed home." Sports Shooter, 4/25/03

To add an even more absurd angle to this, he tries to give advice and directions about how to make arrangements to work in Iraq, even though he has never been outside the airport! He is immediately corrected by photographers who have actually been to Iraq and point out how dangerous it is for him to be spreading his bullshit.

http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=10130

Think of the thousands of soldiers, civilians and journalists who have been killed and injured in Iraq over the past eight years. These people truly had rockets fired at them and things exploding next to them. That Frischling would lie and claim this all happened to him, while insulting the British soldiers by implying they are a bunch of drunks, is further evidence of his sick need to seek attention for himself at all costs.

The fact that he continues to call himself a "journalist," and that Randy Petersen continues to host his blog on BoardingArea.com, is nothing if not disgusting.

Steven Frischling Assaulted by (Gigantic) Hugh Grant!

Umbrella-wielding maniac Hugh Grant

Is there no end to his fascinating adventures?

Yet another golden FishTale from the 1990s, apparently a most unfortunate time for Steven Frischling in his storied career as a "photojournalist." In addition to being assaulted by police, being nearly killed by Hurricane Georges and destroying a lens by dropping into onto Olympic ice, it seems Frischling was assaulted by movie star Hugh Grant in 1996!

Yes, according to Steven Frischling, the towering "Huge" Grant struck him in the head with his umbrella, leaving "an ugly gash."

We imagine you would need to be whipped quite hard by an umbrella to leave "an ugly gash." And it sounds like quite a scene, as Frischling claims he "almost punched out" a production assistant!

Unfortunately you will have to take Steven Frischling's word for it (which we do not recommend in any situation ever). Even though "Huge" Grant was already one of the most famous actors in the world, nobody has ever heard this story before! This certainly would have been one of earliest incidents of a star attacking a paparazzo (or "papparazzo" as Frischling would spell it).

Perhaps "Huge" Grant struck everyone in the head with his mighty umbrella to erase their memories? Or maybe he picked up the tiny little witnesses in his gigantic hands and shook them to and fro?

And again, you will have to ask Steven Frischling why he has no photos of "Huge" Grant coming after him with an umbrella, which surely would have sold for quite a nice sum.

alt.journalism.photo: "Papparazzi"

FishFotoJr Apr 16 1996, 1:00 am

Ahhhhhh........

Today I was one of them(papparazzi), I feel dirty and keep showering, but
still the filth of what they do is on me.

Ahhhhhhh..............

(almost had Huge Grant take my eye out with an umbrella, and almost punched out a production ass't)

Steven E. Frischling
Freelance News Photographer
NYPD Working Press #0067

Too young to be respected; Too old to not be taken seriously; INVINCIBLE!;
Fear was just a word in the dictionary; Life was a right, not a gift;
Death was only a concept; STRENGTH!--Nikon F4s ad 1992

-----------------------------------------------------

R. Clayton McKee Apr 17 1996, 1:00 am

FishFotoJr <fishfot...@aol.com> wrote:
>Today I was one of them(papparazzi), I feel dirty and keep showering, but
>still the filth of what they do is on me.
>Steven E. Frischling
>Freelance News Photographer
>NYPD Working Press #0067

Get thee hence, foul vermin!!
--
R. Clayton McKee
Photojournalist/Writer <> cmc...@brewich.com
P O Box 571900 <> 713/783-3502 voice
Houston, TX 77257-1900 <> 713/327-6120 pager

-----------------------------------------------------

Neil Barker Apr 22 1996, 1:00 am

In article: <4l1lob$...@newsbf02.news.aol.com> fishfot...@aol.com
(FishFotoJr) writes:
> Today I was one of them(papparazzi), I feel dirty and keep showering,
> but still the filth of what they do is on me.
*Grin*
> (almost had Huge Grant take my eye out with an umbrella, and almost
> punched out a production ass't)

Could have been worse - he could have mistook you for Divine....
--
Neil Barker : n...@nbarker.demon.co.uk
Birmingham, England.

-----------------------------------------------------

FishFotoJr Apr 23 1996, 1:00 am

Neil,

At least Devine got a million dollar book deal out of it, and about 5,000
pounds off the bat from Rex Features to pose for some photos (I used to do
work for REX USA Ltd (REX Features, London) ) and this had been mentioined
in their officer right after the event.

I just got an ugly gash over my eyelid.

Steven E. Frischling
Freelance News Photographer
NYPD Working Press #0067

Seven months later, he brings the incident up on NPPA, repeating that he was "cut" over the eye by Hugh Grant:

bit.listserv.nppa-l: "This is a working street."

Steven E. Frischling Sep 11 1996, 1:00 am

The last movie set I shot cost me a cut over my eye from Huge Grant. He was
filming whatever that movie that is out now with him and Gene Hackman.

I was informed that if Huge could see the lens I was to close and I would be
arrested, come on this is NYC, what the %$#& were they thinking? The film
crew had effectivly the closed 6th Ave and 23rd Street (no small feet in
Manhattan). The "media relations" person had stated he had a problem the day
before and today did not want to see the press, so he tried to have myself
and the other photogs thrown off the street, the DCPI (Police person in
charge) laughed at the film crew's request. As photographers do a few of us waited by his tour bus to shoot Huge Grant one photog ducked, I was dumb and caught and umbrella just over my eye.

This was so unusual that other photographers inquired as to whether it could have been an accident, and if not, whether he filed a lawsuit? But no, Steven Frischling said he would never do such a thing, worrying about how it would be "persived" and how it might lump the working press in with the "papazarri!" Plus it's no big deal for him, as he covers "violent situations mostly." Scoop just wanted to slap on a Band-Aid and go back to work!

Frischling also adds that obviously Hugh was in such a bad mood in April 1996 because he had "just been caught with hooker a few weeks before," however, this occurred nearly a full year before, in June 1995.

Steven E. Frischling Sep 12 1996, 1:00 am

Alex,

I am fairly sure that when he grumbled and pushed his umbrella into my head it was deliberate, he had to lower the umbrella about 4 inches to do so.

Grant is somewhat knows for being an @$$#@!* with photographers on the set.
I feel that if I had tried to sue Grant I would have been persived most
likley as a money grubbing paparazzi rather than a stringer who took the
assignment he was dealt that day. Despite my somewhat over anxious ego that
comes accross online I am not a glory hunter, yes I do have a big mouth
though, but I do not want to come off as a person who wants to be in the
tabloid , or use a bad incident for financial gains. In NYC the "working
press" often get lumped with the papazarri when shooting movie sets and the
job is hard enough as it is, if a photographer sued a star for something
that could have been avoided if Grant was in a better mood (or not just been
caught with hooker a few weeks before in Hollywood) then the shooting areas
become more restricted causing a harder job for other photographers.

The Celebrities often claim that the photographer provoked them into their
actions, so they see thier actions as justified, this makes photojournalists
look really bad in the eye of the public who often side with the celebrity,
never mind that fact they just injured a photographer. As for me, I was
standing their out of his way, just got a bad break. Besides I cover violent
situations mostly , no biggie on the scar list :-)

I got my $110 for my time, a few rolls of film, and a assignment later than
evening, I was pissed, but ready to forget it , put on a band-aid and go back
to work.

Steven E. Frischling
Freelance News Photographer
1(800)662-5306

"I'm broke, but I'm happy"

It seems you sure dodged a bullet there Mr. Huge! Good thing you assaulted a photographer with such high integrity!

Happy Lying!

Steven Frischling's Disaster on Ice

Olympic hockey arena in Lake Placid, site of Steven Frischling's finest hour

Here is yet another FishTale that has changed over time, and as he moved his online persona to a new forum.

First he mentions that he worked for Harvard University for one year, which included photographing the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) hockey championships, which was held at the Olympic hockey arena in Lake Placid from 1993 to 2002.

3/20/03 on SportsShooter

"In 93-94 I shot for Harvard's S.I.D. Fun gig to get at 18, considering Harvard won the Bean Pot, the ECAC and went to MN to NCAA Div 1 Finals where they kicked @$$. "

Four years later and the story is dramatically different, as he is now shooting the ECAC for an unnamed wire service! Not only that, he claims this unnamed wire service shipped him a brand new $5,000 lens just for the event! Our photographer readers say this is ridiculous. A professional might loan a newcomer such a valuable lens in person, but no way would a wire service ship a brand new one to an 18 year old!

In this story, he claims he was in the catwalks above the arena (where the lights are installed) and another photographer bumped him, causing his camera and the $5,000 lens to go crashing to the ice below!

May 3, 2007 Digital Wedding Forum

"My Nikon F3hp w/MD-4 once fell from the top of the catwalks high above the Olympic Hockey Arena in Lake Placid, New York. The 4 day old Nikkor 300f2.8 AF-I (the wire service I worked for had it delivered 4 days before what I am about to describe) with F3hp were being secured to the railing of the catwalk facing the goal. I had just begun securing the rig when another photog bumped into me, crossing behind me (a direct violation of working in the catwalks in Lake Placid) and my F3hp with the 300f2.8 AF-I fell more than 100 feet to the ice below.

The 300f2.8 AF-I was totally destroyed. It was a $5,000+ loss (it was insured, but I was 18 years old and terrified to make the phone call) . The F3hp had a totaled prisim (which you can pop off and replace) but despite it no longer working in aperture priority and the meter not being accurate, the body works perfectly. I managed to get a prisim shipped overnight and shot away for three days of NCAA Division 1 hockey (without the 300f2.8).

Is there any body besides a Nikon F3hp you can drop 100+ feet and still use 14 years later?

Luckily this was 7 or 8 hours before game time and no one was on the ice. The whole wreck caused a major crack and pot hole in the ice that needed to be repaired. The photog who bumped me had his credentials removed by the NCAA."

He claims that the lens was destroyed, and though it was insured, he was "too terrified to make the phone call." What does that mean? He paid to replace it himself? It was a gift from the wire service so he just shrugged it off to bad luck? Which wire service is this?

Additionally, he claims he told off a Harvard student who was giving him trouble:

January 23, 2008 SportsShooter

"I spent a year working as a photog for Harvard University's Sports Information Department. At some point during a conversation a grad student remarked to me, rather snottily "Well you know I go to Harvard." I smiled and snapped back " I got to Harvard 4 days a week and they pay me to do it!""

How very clever!

Thank you photographers who are filling our inbox with these catches. Even if we read these stories back to back we would not have caught it was the same event.

Happy Lying!