The Invasion of Privacy
In 2012, some news publications made nude photos of Prince Harry without his knowledge. I believe that such an action is considered to be the invasion of privacy and it is not reasonable.
The British newspaper, which is called The Sun, was the first to publish these photos. However, the photos were published even though the lawyers of the Royal Family warned the newspaper that it is the invasion of Harry’s privacy. The Sun stated that the photos were available all around the world and people were eligible to see the photos (BBC News).
The photos were taken at the private weekend where the prince was with his friends. The two photos, which depict the prince and the naked woman, were taken on the camera phone. Firstly, these photos were published on the website, which is called TMZ. David Dinsmore who is the editor of the Sun said they made the decision about publishing the photos thoroughly. They say that is the freedom of the press for them. The newspaper stated that it is a ridiculous situation that the lawyers objected to the publication of these photos because they were on the Internet and millions of people were able to see them (BBC News).
St James Palace Had some concerns about the interruption of the prince privacy. The palace also said that a lot of newspapers considered using the photos. The spokesman of the palace stated that the decision of publishing the photos was made by the editors. The Sun said that it did not intend to make judgments about the life of the prince by publishing these photos. Moreover, the newspaper stated that the readers have the right to see these photos (BBC News). The representative of the Royal Family stated that they did not have any comments concerning the photos (TMZ).
These photos had a great influence on the image of the prince who represents Great Britain. Moreover, there are a lot of questions concerning whether the prince’s position in the army. John Whittingdale stated that it was not clear how the publication of these photos could serve the public interest. Besides the newspapers, which have published the photos, there were those, which did not. Such newspaper as the Daily Mirror stated that it decided not to publish the photos because it would breach the privacy of the prince (BBC News).
The issue of whether the newspapers, which publish such photos, breach the privacy of people is very controversial one. We can state that the invasion of one’s privacy is the action, which leads to injury. The invasion of one’s privacy is when one person violates the duty not to interrupt the life of another person. Journalists are likely to interrupt the lives of people in order to get the necessary information or photos (RCFP). That is why I believe that it was not reasonable to publish the photos of the prince. By taking these photos, the journalists interrupted his personal life and it could damage his reputation.
As the conclusion, it must be stated that the invasion of one’s privacy is not the fair action. People are eligible to have the private life, and by doing such actions, the journalists interrupt the privacy of those people. I believe that the journalists can do such actions only in the case when it serves the public good and interest. In another case, they do not have the right to interrupt the lives of others.
Works Cited
BBC News,. "Prince Harry Naked Vegas Photos Published By Sun - BBC News". N.p., 2012. Web. 8 Feb. 2016. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-19364261
http://www.tmz.com,. "Prince Harry -- Naked Photos Of Las Vegas Rager Leaked". N.p., 2012. Web. 8 Feb. 2016. http://www.tmz.com/2012/08/21/prince-harry-naked-photos-nude-vegas-hotel-party/
Rcfp.org,. "A Primer On Invasion Of Privacy | Reporters Committee For Freedom Of The Press". N.p., 2016. Web. 8 Feb. 2016. http://www.rcfp.org/photographers-guide-privacy/primer-invasion-privacy
