Is It A Violation of Privacy to Record and Publish Private Conversations?
Chapter 6 of the textbook poses the question as to whether it is a violation of privacy to record and publish private recordings without the knowledge, or consent, of all of the parties involved. This question has been a matter of media ethics and law since the means to record audio or video has existed. This question is increasingly pertinent as incidents of non-consensual publishing of recorded activities continues to increase, due to the technological means to make recordings becoming easier, cheaper, and more discreet.
People, based on their stature and role in society, should have different sets of legal expectations for privacy. In all cases, short of criminal …show more content…
A politician secretly recorded in unethical conduct, such as former Louisiana Congressman Vance McAllister, who was exposed to be engaging in an extramarital affair in 2014, due to a leaked surveillance video from a staffer that was published by the media, should not have the same expectation of privacy due to his role as a Congressman. It was not a violation of his privacy for the media to publish that tape. Likewise, the secretly recorded racist conversations of NBA franchise owner Donald Sterling that were leaked to the media, are also not a violation of privacy. This is due to Sterling’s role in the public sphere, and the stature of the NBA making the tapes a public matter. The fallout that Sterling experienced, resulting in him having to sell the Clippers, was appropriate and he should not have legal recourse against the …show more content…
When it comes to the issue of edited recordings or videos however, libel laws should have some impact. It’s one thing to publish conversations without consent, it’s another to manipulate, or doctor, information to present a misleading and biased story that can have harmful, inaccurate, and libelous impact. The media should still be able to publish these edited reports under the first amendment, but in that case they should not be protected from civil lawsuits due to damages
Chapter 6 of the textbook poses the question as to whether it is a violation of privacy to record and publish private recordings without the knowledge, or consent, of all of the parties involved. This question has been a matter of media ethics and law since the means to record audio or video has existed. This question is increasingly pertinent as incidents of non-consensual publishing of recorded activities continues to increase, due to the technological means to make recordings becoming easier, cheaper, and more discreet.
People, based on their stature and role in society, should have different sets of legal expectations for privacy. In all cases, short of criminal …show more content…
A politician secretly recorded in unethical conduct, such as former Louisiana Congressman Vance McAllister, who was exposed to be engaging in an extramarital affair in 2014, due to a leaked surveillance video from a staffer that was published by the media, should not have the same expectation of privacy due to his role as a Congressman. It was not a violation of his privacy for the media to publish that tape. Likewise, the secretly recorded racist conversations of NBA franchise owner Donald Sterling that were leaked to the media, are also not a violation of privacy. This is due to Sterling’s role in the public sphere, and the stature of the NBA making the tapes a public matter. The fallout that Sterling experienced, resulting in him having to sell the Clippers, was appropriate and he should not have legal recourse against the …show more content…
When it comes to the issue of edited recordings or videos however, libel laws should have some impact. It’s one thing to publish conversations without consent, it’s another to manipulate, or doctor, information to present a misleading and biased story that can have harmful, inaccurate, and libelous impact. The media should still be able to publish these edited reports under the first amendment, but in that case they should not be protected from civil lawsuits due to damages