MEDIA ISSUE #2 : Royal exposure: how much privacy should Kate and Harry expect?

Media is a field of job that involves an individual to balance the moral aspects of invading another person’s privacy with getting the information they need to cover a specific story. The invasion of privacy have become so common in today’s newspaper and magazine tabloid in order a journalist to find out about what celebrities have done or say.

Source: articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com 

Source: theprevailingethos.com

From my point of view, Kate and Harry’s case should be given privacy as they are also entitled to the same right of privacy to all individuals. Every individual have their own expectation of privacy. According to Nordhaus J. E, the public nature of celebrities  occupations is construed as waiving their rights to privacy. He also added in his article that the waiver is regarded as a limited waiver in which the press is restricted  to examine and expose information that has some bearing on the individual’s position in society (1999). On the other hand, Mandell, in his article stated that paparazzi  should not be allowed to intrude on an individual's private property. They also shouldn't be permitted to enter medical facilities or schools in an effort to track down a celebrity. These undertakings are unconcealed invasions of privacy, and the related issues are not proper to be published in tabloid fodder (2010).

Moreover, mercenary paparazzi’ should be conscious of the fact that their reporting can have detrimental effects on celebrities. If celebrities are not of strong and stable characters, depression and worse, maybe suicide could be the outcome of their degrading reporting. Princess Diana’s death is a living example of a celebrity death due to a car crash in Paris. Being hounded by paparazzi her driver friend  had to wade  them away by driving his car at exceptionally high speed resulting in an accident killing the driver and Princess Diana. Therefore, according to (foxnews.com, 2012) Although the media must always have freedom to report the truth in a free society, the tabloid media itself  may become an overbearing force that constrains freedom and damages innocent people by invading their privacy too much.

 Consequently, in Kate and Harry’s case, they deserve privacy. They also deserve to live their lives like a normal individual. The media press does not have to needlessly invade privacy and jeopardize people in order to cover a juicy story. There are principled standards under the media law that they should be obeyed.

 References

Mandell, Z, 2012, ‘Invasion of celeb privacy: Where to draw the line’ [online] available at: http://voices.yahoo.com/invasion-celeb-privacy-where-draw-line-7164340.html Viewed: 7th November 2012

Nordhaus J. E , 1999, ‘Celebrities right to privacy? How far should the paparazzi be allowed to go?’ [online]  Vol. 18, pp. 286-314, available at: http://www.asc.upenn.edu/usr/ogandy/c734%20resources/celebrities%20rights%20-%20nordhaus.pdf  Viewed: 7^th November 2012

Foxnews.com, 2012, ‘Paparazzi, haven't you learned? Don’t endanger Kate Middleton like Princess Diana’ [online] available at: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/09/15/paparazzi-havent-learned-dont-endanger-kate-middleton-like-princess-diana/ Viewed: 7^th November 2012