Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7408451.stm
This article discusses an attack by the press on Princess Beatrice, the daughter of the Dutchess of York. This includes a barrage of criticism following the release of a photograph of Beatrice wearing a bikini while on holiday. According to the article, Beatrice has been called "horrible names" and been made fun of for her size 10 figure. The article also discusses the involvement of the Duchess of York with fighting obesity.
In particular, what really stood out to me in this article was a question posed by the Dutchess herself "I understand freedom of the press but what I don't understand is when it takes a regular, very healthy girl and tries to completely obliterate her confidence."
So how much "freedom" should the press really have? Public figures can expect criticism of their every move and feature, everyone from Brittany Spears to George W. Bush to Queen Elizabeth II are constantly under scrutiny, their every flaw or mistake publicized and often played up. But this fact doesn't make it right. It is definately unfair that public figures, particularly those born into the role, have next to near no privacy. And though I know that the press will always be searching for flaws in their subjects (and that the public will always want to know about them) I do think it is the responsability of journalists and the like, despite the freedoms given to them, to act responsibly and be concious of the feelings of their subjects. So what if Beatrice is a size 10? Isn't that her own business? Something like that has no real public importance and it really isn't the business of the press to take pictures and obsess over something personal like that. Though I agree with freedom of the press, I think they should be a little more careful in how they interpret and use that freedom. Save it for something important, a scenario where the public really and truly needs to know all the details.
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