As many of you might have noticed: The right of free speech and a free media is what I consider fundamentals in an open and free society.
And while I think we, the public, should have the right to know what goes on, and that people that voluntarily enter into the public arena (politicians, celebrities etcetera) should be prepared for extra scrutiny, I think that stories like the one going in the media today is a gross violation.
The case? An e-mail gone astray. The story? A womans e-mail to her boyfriend, with details of phone sex, flirting and daily chatter. The consequences? Work trouble for the woman and her boyfriend, and the dubious honour of being portrayed and rediculed in the media.
The English newspaper The Evening Standard even graces us with the full story, and the entire e-mail. And as if that wasn’t good enough, they make sure to be at the airport to snap a picture of the woman as she arrives at London airport Heathrow.
This story would have been bordering on the unacceptable even if it was a public persona that did the grand mistake of CC’ing the message to more recipients than the desired one, but when a major newspaper chooses to make such a big deal out of a regular womans e-mail, I think its sickening and way over the line. This is a woman who has probably had no experience with the media, and will be highly effected by the story.
Shouldn’t we be able to expect more from the press? In my opinion the most emberrasing part of this whole story is that an inocent woman is put on display for something like this.
Agreed, lame. The happy medium between lack of privacy for our own safety, and privacy for our own privacy is definately hard to find. The Freedom of Information Act in the US is already over the line. I have nothing to hide, however, it is disrespectful of people’s rights.
To call the Evening Standard a newspaper is IMO to stretch the definition of a the word too much. Standard, my ass. English newspaper employees are the lowest form of life I can think of.
I think that a norwegian paper would at least kept the people involved anonymous.
Jarle,have to agree with you. Must have been a slow news day. And to the people that forwarded the mistakenly sent e-mail, shame on you. I would have deleted something like that.