Ought the privacy of public figures be intruded?

All of these celebrities and many more have spoken out against violations of their privacy, or else they have fought court cases against the media in regards to what they believe to be an intrusion of their privacy.

A Public Figure Definition: This refers to any person who receives frequent media attention, or is well-known in a particular area.

Intrusion Definition: Any set of actions that attempt to compromise the integrity, confidentiality or availability of a resource.

Examples Of Celebrities Who Have Been Involved In Privacy Cases “Snaps in the Maldives broke the law,” says judge. On Thursday, 15 May 2008 Hugh Grant, Liz Hurley and her husband Arun Nayar on a privacy case in the High Court against 2 picture agencies: Big Pictures (UK) Ltd and Eliot Press SARL. The agencies have been ordered to pay £58,000 damages after taking snaps of the Trio at a private resort in the Maldives in October last year. The judge agreed that images of Hugh, 47, Liz, 42, and Arun, 43, were taken covertly. Hugh Grant and Liz Hurley

Earlier this month at the UCLA Medical Centre in LA 14 workers resigned, retired or were fired – and nine physicians were suspended for peeking at the records of Britney Spears during a hospitalization this year. Farrah Fawcett was involved in a similar incident.

Anna Ford, the BBC newsreader, appealed to the Press Complaints Commission, after she, her partner and her children went on holiday to a secluded beach resort in Majorca. During the vacation a photographer, with a long lens camera, took a photo of her applying sun cream. The photo appeared in OK! magazine and the Daily Mail. However, her complaint was rejected as the Commission disagreed and argued that the beach was a public place. Her appeal to court on Tuesday was also rejected, as the judge agreed with the commission even though he was said to have "clear and genuine sympathy" for Ms Ford. Do you think this act was a violation of Ms Ford’s privacy?

Example of exam question ‘Our obsession with the private lives of public figures proves the poverty of our own lives’ Discuss. You might consider: whether the media are only giving the public what it wants. the benefits to the public figures themselves of ‘exposure’. the ethics of media intrusion into private lives.

When answering the question you might also want to consider: Why are we as ‘ordinary’ people so interested in the private lives of these public figures? And Ought the privacy of public figures to be intruded upon?