The Ethics of Media: News of The World

A current hot story regarding press intrusion and the right to privacy involves the News of the World phone hacking scandal. The paper is one of many owned by media mogul, Rupert Murdoch. Look at some of the videos then answer the following questions below in class. The 1st two videos here from Channel 4 news give a background to the case.

News Of The World Phone Hacking Part 1

Uploaded by selfdeluded on Jul 5, 2011

News Of The World Phone Hacking Part 2 

Uploaded by selfdeluded on Jul 5, 2011

Will News of the World's Shuttering Change British Journalism Tactics?

Uploaded by PBSNewsHour on Jul 7, 2011

The last issue of  News of the World before it shut down in 2011

Here is a link from The Guardian newspaper detailing the facts of the Leveson Inquiry into the scandal.

Leveson Inquiry: Steve Coogan details Glen Mulcaire's phone hacking diary

Uploaded by telegraphtv on Nov 22, 2011

Sienna Miller: I was spat on by paparazzi

Uploaded by ReutersVideo on Nov 24, 2011

LEVESON INQUIRY: Max Mosley describes son's death

Published on Nov 24, 2011 by itnnews

JK Rowling: reporters targeted my five-year-old child

Uploaded by telegraphtv on Nov 24, 2011

Hugh Grant at the Leveson Inquiry: I suspect Mail on Sunday hacked my phone

Uploaded by telegraphtv on Nov 21, 2011

Charlotte Church: I was offered £100K to sing for Rupert Murdoch

Uploaded by telegraphtv on Nov 28, 2011

Leveson Inquiry: Anne Diamond - Besieged After Sons Cot Death

Uploaded by NOTWPhoneHacking on Nov 28, 2011

Leveson Inquiry: Paul McMullan's tabloid tales

Uploaded by telegraphtv on Nov 29, 2011

Here is a link about phone hacking from a journalist who was with the Irish News Of The World.

Journalist-claims-Irish-News-of-the-World-hacked-phones

For You To Do:
Discuss in class the following

• How could the media in Ireland learn from this case?
• What are the advantages of a press that is held to account and potentially fined?
• What are the disadvantages if there is greater privacy forced on the press?
• Who should be the judge of what constitutes a story that is in the public interest?
• Should celebrities have a right to privacy?
• Should the general public have a right to privacy?
• How realistically can this be enforced with the advent of new media as a result of the internet (blogs, Twitter etc)?
• Should the public have a role to play in selecting what news they purchase/consume?

If you wish to investigate the role of the London paparazzi, here is a documentary by BBC 3 from 2009. This is Part 1 of 7 and casts an often overlooked eye into the methods used by newspapers and magazines to get the pictures they want.

Paparazzi Documentary Next Generation Part 1 of 7

 Uploaded by benbenjilali on 29 Dec 2009