The Media Should Respect Privacy of Public Figures
How much privacy of the individual is protected under the United States Constitution? Every one is entitled to the right of privacy, but to what extent is that privacy granted? Public figures are constantly being harassed and photographed by the media. Some photographers and reporters will go to any means, even illegal actions, to get a picture or story. However, public figures are human beings like everyone else, and the media should give them more privacy. The media needs to operate with more respect for both laws and for moral and ethical codes of conduct. There are laws establishing the privacy of an individual, and the media needs to extend these rights to public figures.
Are public officials entitled to private lives? The answer, up until two generations ago was a clear yes (Knowlton, 51). President Franklin D. Roosevelt used a wheel chair or braces, but that disability was rarely mentioned and almost never photographed. Many previous presidents were unfaithful to their wives, but the media did not cover these affairs that were common knowledge to the press corps (Knowlton, 51). However, the extramarital affairs of President Clinton are being widely covered by the media. The ethical code of conduct has fallen apart, and the media has new views on the amount of privacy that should be extended to public figures.
According to Steven Knowlton, author of Moral Reasoning for Journalists, "Celebrities of all sorts-musicians, athletes, entertainers, and others-make their living from the public and the public therefore in a sense employs them, just as it employs governors and presidents..."(54). Most journalists figure that celebrities voluntarily surrender their pr...
... middle of paper ...
...ion in a home or other private place. Even though these are not currently illegal actions, the media should act as if they were. Like other people, public figures should be able to separate their job from their family and personal lives. When public figures are spending time with their families, they should not be harassed by the media; intrusions on the privacy of celebrities are intrusions on the privacy of everyone.
Works Cited
Claffey, Mike and Tumposky, Ellen. "Sadness, Anger Toward Photographers Follows Diana's Death. Witchita Eagle. 31 August 1997.
Dill, Barbara. The Journalist's Handbook on Libel and Privacy. New York. 1986.
Knowlton, Steven R. Moral Reasoning for Journalists. Connecticut. 1997.
Smolla, Rodney A. Suing the Press. New York. 1986.
Sunstein, Cass R. "Reinforce the Walls of Privacy." The New York Times. 6 September 1997.
Marshall P. David (1997). Celebrity Power; Fame in Contemporary Culture. May 16, 2010. Electronically retrieved from
This counselor met with Morgan and Barb Seidel with Career Directions at Morgan's Macomb Mall worksite on 12/5/17. Barb has been working with Morgan to identify her strengths and explore areas of employment that will be a good fit for her given her disabilities and barriers.
In a world where billionaires and celebrities can have more influence over the public than government, the word power has become interchangeable with success. Although many of us have fantasized of our lives if we were famous, the majority of the population have given up on the notion of becoming famous, and have become more realistic towards future dreams and desires. However, what qualities drive people of fame to do things that keep their name out in the eye of the public? People desire power. Genuine power is the ability to influence.
...uld be justifiable to emphasize that a good number of them find it sickening to miss the limelight. . Nonetheless, it goes without mentioning that celebrities get exploited because some gossip stories explore the things that would otherwise be considered to be private.
After observing and researching all the sources portraying celebrities I have came into a conclusion that todays society it seems like all we want is to be accepted and we tend to look at other people and judge. Its not right, we all are different and thats what makes the world go round. It would be a pretty boring world if we were all the same. Celebrities deal with this everyday, I think the paparazzi know more about some celebrities lives than they actually do. They judge them for who they are and what they do, it is not right nor fair.
Deborah is energetic, very sociable and communicates well with the clients, her peers, staff and supervisor in order to solve any problems or challenges as they arise.
Courts do not always protect the press, if something is published that has no real interest and invades someone’s privacy can be fined for doing so. There are also several tv shows that paramedics or firemen enter a home for a call and a tv crew will follow them, and the people inside have no time or may not be in the condition to give permission to enter and in result there have been many reported cases in which the victim later sued for invasion of privacy.
Solove, Daniel J. “5 Myths about Privacy” Washington Post: B3. Jun 16 2013. SIRS. Web. 10
[4] H. Nissenbaum. Toward an Approach to Privacy in Public: Challenges of Information Technology. Ethics & Behavior, 7(3): 207-220, 1997.
We are part of a generation that is obsessed with celebrity culture. Celebrities are distinctive. Media and consumers alike invented them to be a different race of super beings: flawless, divine and above all the real moral world. In a 1995 New York Times article “In contrast, 9 out of 10 of those polled could think of something
To begin with, the paparazzi’s first line of protecting against is nothing unfamiliar in this democratic homeland. “We the people” have a right to understand who these persons are that we contain in high regards. This entitles them to pursue any subject of interest particularly those that are legally regarded to be public numbers. Celebrities naturally are subject to the loophole in the regulation of right of privacy. As many odd laws that there are, the big dangers to the people in this country are not taken care of. Celebrities’ kids are insulted by the photographers. At age six, Suri Cruise is just as photographed as her famous, now divorced parents, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. Children at that age are commonly camera ...
Do we as a society have the right to punish celebrities when they misbehave? Do celebrities have the right to become livid when they are focused on their immoral behavior? Do they love the media attention only when it benefits them? Before we can answer the above questions, would we, furthermore, can we live our life as a celebrity if given the opportunity? The perks of illimitable wealth, vacationing all over the world, housekeepers, chefs, being in receipt of freebies from designers, multiple homes in diverse parts of the world, chauffeurs, the finest foods, and all the other perks that come with being a celebrity?
Gonchar, Michael. “What Is More Important: Our Privacy or National Security?” New York Times. New York Times, 17 Sept. 2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.
In previous years, the issue with the paparazzi and media has grown. With the advances in technology, it makes taking and posting photos of celebrities or public figures much easier. The public appears greedy and feels privy to their private lives. Celebrities, or any public figure, have very limited privacy due to the paparazzi and media. The paparazzi and media are also affecting celebrities’ children. Currently, laws are being put in effect to stop this.
Should celebrities have their right to privacy? Before newspapers, television, and the internet, ordinary people were not exposed to endless stories about celebrities. Today however, we are bombarded with information about who is dating whom, where they eat, and what they wear from magazines such as People, Entertainment Weekly, and Star. Also, most ordinary people respect the rights of others to a private life. However, some people are just obsessed to get information out of celebrities. They want to know everything about them and have a desire for more information. Celebrities should have their right to privacy due to historical/practical rights, their invasion of privacy with paparazzi, and their childrens’ rights to privacy. They are ordinary people just with a famous role in life.