There is currently the investigation going on into how the Uk media go about their business. At the root if it I the phone hacking but it is becoming apparent it is more then that.
Celebrity after celebrity has took the stand as it were to give their stories.
For a long time we all know how bad photographers have been getting right up into people's faces, making up stories and worse but I have always though it was OTT but over recent years they have almost got away with murder.
No one has ever properly clamped down on the media Nd how they get their stories. From how they introduce on people's lives to extortion, bullying, bribe, phone hacking and more.
It has been interesting to hear how the papers have threatened to post lies about something if a person fails to give them a statement, we have heard how they go I it their way for that photo...
Just so much of it.
I have a personal experience of this when out driveway wall pillar fell on my friend. We as kids were crying in our dining room with our parents and in walked a guy from the Leicester Mecury paper. Walked through gates in the drive, down through the back garden into our house. No care in the world over us or o ur privacy.
Freedom and right my arse!
I really hope something comes out of this. I like hearing news but I do not care if Miley Cirus has a new phone in her bikini pics at a pool and I am sure she hates her privacy being invaded 24/7.
Some will say your a celebrity and you should expect this. No you shouldn't. They are human and a right to their privacy too.
I do hope to see media cracked down so they can not carry on the way they do.
Things like if your a celebrity and your not filming a movie or taking part in public events, in those periods of the year your not "in the limelight" as it were they should not be able to get any where near you or able to submit photos of you without permissions to do so outside of those times or something.
For people who are normal people shoved in the limelight over a disaster or suspected of a crime there should be laws in place to protect them better from the media.
There is a lot to cover in this topic, what do you guys think out all this?
I think that they should have no right to take pictures without consent, however the current proceedings are looking at celebrities and their privacy mostly.
Now if a law was to be put in place then, they couldn't do it just for 'celebrities' it would have to be a general rule (it's impossible to define a celebrity - look at I'm a 'celebrity', get me out of here), however on the flip side if there is a public event, then these rights should be waived (It's a public event after all)
Do you then put in special clauses that then say if you are at a public event but your boob falls out, then they can't publish the photo?
Also is stopping the press publishing certain things, then just going to make them move to the internet? After all UK law wouldn't apply then! Would the same go for US celebs, I assume they could do what they want for them, if the photos were taken in the states?
It's going to be a difficult thing to police, I expect the weasels will find any loophole they can, and my honest opinion is that after all this, not a lot is going to change! If our media couldn't invade privacy, then that's half the newspapers and magazines gone.
I'm no expert on these matters, but I don't really read the news, and I'm certainly not interested in Charlotte Church's new baby! And personally wish that, that type of reporter would find a tall building to fly off of!
Totally agree with the complexity in it all and why they have been left to do basically what ever they like. There is the right for both parties.
BUT..
You got to agree, something needs to be done to kerb how they treat people. In general they treat them like sh*t.
Even down to say a race driver doing an interview outside their garage or after the race, They are talking to one interviewer, often Martin Brundle because in F1 say they all know him but they have 10 other mic's and recorders shoved in their faces, not even an inch away, often brushing their face.
They can not react otherwise "JOHN SMITH LASHES OUT TO REPORTS, SERIOUS ATTITUDE ISSUE!" will appear in all the papers etc.
They are trapped, they do not want to be trashed but it clearly looks unpleasant.
Your famous, you need to talk to the media but you should not be treated like that.
It will be hard and I know what they decide to do will not go far enough but the power of the media needs to be trimmed, At least having respect for people.
Not disagreeing with you in the slightest, I said something needs to be done, but I just don't reckon much is going to come of the court ruling.
And agree with the aggressive behaviour as well, that kind of thing needs to be stopped.
Quote from: XEntity on November 29, 2011, 00:35:42 AM
Not disagreeing with you in the slightest, I said something needs to be done, but I just don't reckon much is going to come of the court ruling.
And agree with the aggressive behaviour as well, that kind of thing needs to be stopped.
But you are right in what can you do. Very tricky issue.
All the things of a celeb beating up or palming away or smashing a camera from a pap. A lot of these cases are outside or in airports. If your working promo stuff for an album or movie, flying here there and everywhere, on your 3rd 10 hour flight or something along those lines to then get off the plane, feeling like sh*t and have cameras shoved in your face, flashing going over. Heck, your going to bloody react eventually.
And then they rape you for it in the media.
It is nuts, we would be no different, They push and push and push you on purpose so they get a reaction.
Oh no someone does not look totally gorgeous as they get off a 12 hour plane flight - Shock Horror.
More media needs to be like the BBC in my view. Love their coverage and what they class as news. Great work by them globally.
I agree with you totally, I've pretty much always wanted be a journalist, but I despise things like 'celeb' magazines where the writers and editors seem to think it's acceptable to laugh at someone's flaws or personal issues - no one should ever be treated the way that those columnists treat those celebrities.
Media is important, but people are using it for all the wrong reasons. With this whole phone hacking scandal recently it's been proven to wreck lives, but bosses in the media seem to think that these people are just disposable and only worth the column inches they take up. I don't know much about Gary Speed, but there are speculations that the media had found something big out and were about to publish it and that could be why he killed himself. If that's the case then they're responsible for taking a man away from his wife, his children, his family and friends, all to make a bit of money.
There really needs to be more regulation and punishments put into place in my opinion
A lot depends on the activity, some things like the hacking are already illegal and should go to court ASAP. Others aren't as clear. Taking photos in a public place is OK, providing you aren't in a full pack of photographers hounding someone. Camping outside someone's door shouldn't be allowed either, or publishing photos through windows or over walls of private areas.
A music or film star having an affair is their business and their family's. A politician or someone in governmental power having an affair affects public security and makes them vulnerable to blackmail, so sometimes it depends on what you do.
You have to protect the public against excessive intrusion but you also need the press to do whistle blowing when there is an issue, so they also need some room against companies and powerful people indulging in crime and corruption. That means it will take a lot of work and effort sorting out some compromise, and it always will be a compromise.