Week Seven: The public's right to know or just taking it too far?

If you hold a position that puts you in the public eye does that mean you lose your right to privacy?

Journalists and celebrities have a symbiotic relationship, one cannot realistically survive without the other. Audiences love to tune in and see what their favourite ‘celeb’ is up to, while if no journalist reported on a movie star’s latest film chances are box office figures would plummet. Celebrities like Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian rely on the media to fuel their career.

But is this in the public interest?

Belsey (1992) outlines three groups of public figures the media would be interested in: personalities who are created and sustained by publicity (such as Hilton and Kardashian), people who do not choose to live in the public eye (like disaster victims) and those who hold a position of power in society. He claims that personalities such as politicians and sports stars should credit the media for their success (Belsey 1992).

According to the Australian Journalists Code of Ethics (2010, n.p.), journalists exist to serve the public’s right to know. However, what the public wants to know and what they need to know are sometimes two different things. But who decides this?

My view is that if a public figure’s private life impacts on their public life, it should be reported. For instance, if a member of parliament is using taxpayer dollars to fund an affair then yes, I think the public has a right to know.

I believe special consideration should be taken when reporting on issues that affect a public figure’s family, or individuals who do not choose to live in the private eye, such as the first example given in the set text (where a photo was published on the front page of The Age that depicted two murdered policemen). Surely it is not fair for the police officer’s family to see that. I know if that was my father, boyfriend, brother, son, friend I would not want to wake up to that. But, as Richards (2001, p. 187) says, it’s possible to see this as straight-talking journalism.

Where do you stand?

References:

Alliance Online – Media Alliance Code of Ethics. (2010). Retrieved 30 August, 2010, from http://www.alliance.org.au/media_alliance_code_of_ethics/

Belsey, A. (1992). Privacy, Publicity and Politics. In A. Belsey & R. Chadwick (Eds.), Ethical Issues in Journalism and the Media (pp. 77 – 91). London: Routledge. CMNS2270 Media, Law, Ethics Course Reader Semester Two 2009, University of Newcastle.

Richards, I. (2001). Public interest, private lies. In S. Tapsall & C. Varley (Eds.), Journalism: Theory in Practice (pp. 187 – 197). South Melbourne: Oxford.