Public Vs Private

As I completed my presentation on this topic I feel like I have a really good understanding of sides to this argument. The conclusion I have come to is that while there continues to be a lot of ambiguity with the law, every situation has to be assessed by the journalists own personal ethical standards. It is also apparent that even when the law is clear on an individual’s right to privacy (such as in the Derryn Hinch case discussed in class) your own personal ethical values may make you feel as if you have a greater moral obligation to the public. There are various issues that cause public interest to challenge privacy including; celebrities’ private lives, medical history, criminal and court cases and various other aspects that fall into a ‘private’ category. I think another important way of assessing whether the information is in the public interest is to look at the value of the information to the public, as compared to the harm it may cause. If the public isn’t going to benefit from finding out something trivial about a celebrities personal life, is it really worth the harm or personal pain it may cause the individual. However if we are talking about a media company (eg. a magazine) that’s profit relies purely on celebrity gossip, this is unlikely to be taken into account.

I have included some humourous cartoons that portray a very cynical picture of journalist’s views of privacy. While I don’t think this is an accurate portrayal of the way in which journalists treat an individual’s privacy, it is important for us to think about as journalism students.