Week 7 - Privacy: Where do you get it? “I’m a celebrity too…”

Public Interest vs. Public Prurience

Whoa, interesting topic! The discussion has stomped up a huge debate on the factors of ‘need to know’ vs. ‘want to know’. There are generally speaking two meanings of the word ‘interest’ as it relates mostly to political and social affairs, which are clearly dissimilar and distinctive.

Social affairs

Celebrity – do they deserve privacy, by leading a public life?
It is true to a certain extent that curiosity kills the cat but how far should journalist go ahead, to gather information? Is it public interest or public prurience? Where should journalists draw the line?

Yes, personally, celebrities deserve their own privacy. Whatever that is reported – which is beyond their duty / job scope is termed as intrusion. Intrusion, as defined by unwarranted violation of one’s physical solitude!

Ryan Giggs, the once famous, turned infamous footballer has many news publications of embarrassing private facts! The Manchester United football superstar was a role model of talent, application, commitment, and achievement. Many newspapers reported that he was a nice guy who eschewed the foul-mouthed, hard-drinking, flash-spending ways of the contemporary top-flight footballer.

After reading about the scandal from several sources, it seems like the press is full of spurious exasperation about the 75,000 people who had posted Ryan Giggs’s name on Twitter and commented on the injunction, stating that law was therefore absurd by trying to gag the media in this era – the internet age!

Despite the injunction, the media got hold of the scandal details and reported every factual detail however, is there a need for everyone to know? News media outlets are capitalizing on the scandal and, serving the public’s interest craving of their ‘want to know’.
It is true to a certain extent that curiosity kills the cat but how far should journalist go ahead, to gather information? Is it public interest or public prurience? Where should journalists draw the line?

It was discussed and debated that by entering public life, individuals surrender any claim to personal privacy. Well, I feel that journalists have a duty to report situations when these details could have relevance to the public performance of an individual or group.

For Ryan Giggs’ case, the reports are irrelevant since it does not affect the way he play as he has the appropriate skill set.


References

Herald Sun. (2011). Ryan Giggs named in parliament over sex scandal. Viewed on 21 June 2011. < http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/soccer/ryan-giggs-named-in-parliament-over-sex-scandal/story-e6frfg8x-1226061588412>.

The Telegraph. (2011). Never mind naming Ryan Giggs, now for the real secrecy scandal. Viewed on 22 June 2011. < http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/ianmcowie/100010371/never-mind-naming-and-shaming-the-footballer-what-about-the-fsa/>.

Week 6 - We are all A Twitter!

Journalism and its negotiation of Online, blogosphere and social media.

Social media platforms are evolving rapidly and it has shaped up the Internet realm. It is thrilling to buy what you have always wanted and never had the time to go shopping, with just a click of the mouse. Seemingly, catching up with long lost friends over facebook and hearing about people’s personal life over twitter is interesting and exciting.

Social networking websites offer different methods, by which people can connect, interact, share info, and create new relationships.

The immense popularity of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter has brought helped many to interact with one another. Our social interaction has affected us in different ways as, we adapt to our increasingly technological world. It has changed the way we interact face-to-face, how we receive and transmit information and, the dynamics of our social groups.

Some argue that the sites are good, but others oppose that the dangers of social media overshadow the benefits.

Recently, The Telegraph (2010), reported that a teenager from Hertfordshire who mistakenly posted her address on Facebook to publicize a birthday party, which created an internet sensation that led to thousands of RSVPs from strangers, ended up with 21,000 promised guests. On the actual day of the event, thousands turned up and, the police were called in to control the crowd. The estimated damage on the compounds was about £15,000.

This is an example of ‘wrong usage’ of the social media. If social media is not used correctly, things can go haywire. Use it with caution as social media is a very powerful tool.

Technological changes that played a part in the journalism sector's well-documented glitches have also unlocked opportunities for reporters to bond with the public on an unprecedented level. Journalists still report facts, but the upsurge of social media has altered how a story is told and consumed. In the traditional world, print publications simply had to give out information, and people would consume it by reading it. Today’s audiences expect to be able to choose what they read, and many believe they should be able to contribute content and opinions.

References

Alastair, J. (2010). Girl, 14, fears 21,000 party guests after Facebook invite blunder. Viewed on 10 June 2011. < http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/8012043/Girl-14-fears-21000-party-guests-after-Facebook-invite-blunder.html>.

Week 5: Globalisation vs. Localisation

Technology revolution – especially the Internet, has transformed the face of journalism remarkably. News, entertainment, infotainment, etc. are accessible globally, via the World Wide Web. Globalization and improved communication technologies has permitted large-scale media companies to join forces together. TNCs – Transnational Corporations such as Universal Studios and AOL Time Warner dominate the international flow of information in the journalism industry. Mass audiences, international media, cultural imperialism and technological advancements are all apart of globalization. On an international level, this has brought forth a new dimension however, the repercussion of globalization in journalism is a decline to the local media. Localization, classified on a national level as community, relevancy and proximity reverses the floe of globalization – pushing the local viewpoint.

McLuhan & Power (1992)’s perception of the ‘Global Village’ asserted that the speediness of communication via the electronic media reverberates the rapidity of our five senses. In layman terms, it means that telecommunication uplifts have greatly reduced the time and decreased the distance between people and places. For instance, the people living in Singapore are able to see and get wind of events that that is currently taking place in the other parts of the world, in a matter of seconds – often faster than what they hear of their own ‘villages’ and families. With this example, McLuhan contends that the rapidity of these electronic communication methods has allowed media audiences to react to global issues at a similar speed, to their normal face-to-face conversations (McLuhan & Power, 1992).

So, globalization of localization?

Globalization emphasizes on events that happen at the other side of the globe but local news stories suffer. And, this subsequently sparks bigger concerns such as a loss in cultural distinctiveness and modifications in conventional news values. Also, TNCs exert influence and control on an international scale as media ownership becomes more concentrated, affecting its integrity and authenticity of the news, which may be tainted with media biasness and personal agendas. McLuhan & Power (1992), asserts that not only has globalization foreshadowed localization, it has also threatened the integrity of journalism.

References

McLuhan, M., & Powers, R. (1992). The Global Village. Oxford University Press, USA.