The leaked photos last summer of various celebrities was perhaps the largest invasion of privacy in recent times, and although this wasn't orchestrated by the media, it got worldwide recognition because of the airtime the media gave it. So was this too far? Should celebrities just "be more careful" as people at the time so eloquently put it? This one man's opinion is: Yes, it was. So where is the line? At what point does the invasion of privacy stop being the "price of being a celebrity" and start being wrong? Is reporting on alleged love affairs acceptable? The inner details of a marriage? Pregnancy? The birth of a child? Jay Z and Beyonce reportedly paid $1.3 million to clear an entire hospital ward, purely to ensure they could experience the birth of their child in private. Is that too far? Yes, the argument is they can afford it, but should they really have to?
Celebrities turning 18 is a whole new chapter. Back when Emma Watson was turning 18, a newspaper had a COUNTDOWN to her 18th birthday. To quote Russell Howard, can you imagine following a non-famous 17 year old down the street shouting 6 days to go? Of course not! The idea is ludicrous. Yet once we begin dealing with a celebrity, this is common practise.
What about when it isn't a celebrity? In 2010, Katie Wassiel got to the finals of the X Factor. Was she a celebrity at this point? On the borderline. Her Grandmother however? Definitely not. Yet it was her Grandmother who was exposed by the media as 'a prostitute'. It was her Grandmother was disowned by her entire family purely as a result of media outlets' lack of respect for her right to a private life. Is that fair?
Finally, it's hard to mention unjust portrayals within the media without mentioning the infamous headline "The Truth". 1989 saw 96 people go to a football match and not return, yet The Sun took it upon themselves to tell the country how it was the Liverpool fans' fault for being drunk, disorderly and general hooligans. They felt they had the right to print "the truth" as fans "pissing on the dead." The truth? No wonder Liverpool as a city still refuse to read The Sun. How can a newspaper print lies as disrespectful as this? How can that same newspaper still be running over 25 years later? Why do people deem these lies acceptable in the name of an entertaining read?
So when does the media go too far? When will it stop? What can we do? The cold hard facts are, as long as people read it, as long as people watch it, the media will continue to restrict the privacy of newsworthy people. So who's really to blame? Is it the media? Or is it us?
