The Press, Privacy and The Paps

17:05 Mar 2, 2010 155

Media7 has come together nicely this week. We're looking at the balance between privacy and press freedom – in the light of a cluster of relevant stories, from the Ali Mau flap to the latest installment of the News of the World phone hacking scandal to new papers from the Broadcasting Standards Authority and the Law Commission that point towards a curb on freedom to use clandestine cameras.

I'll be joined by Law Commissioner Professor John Burrows QC, NBR media columnist David Cohen (who wrote a nice, thoughtful column on the Mau thing) and Mary Lambie, who has sold her story to the women's mags more than once, and has a sharp perspective on the whole thing.

If you'd like to come along to the recording ~~tomorrow~~ today (Wednesday), we'd need you at 5pm at the Victoria Street entrance of TVNZ. It would be nice if you could click reply (or the little envelope icon) and let me know.

Otherwise, feel free to discuss the reports and your thoughts on the issues. If you come up with something really good, I'll make myself look clever by repeating it on the show …

155 responses to this post

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Russell Brown, 17:09 Mar 2, 2010

Just letting y'all know ...

Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report
Craig Ranapia, 17:36 Mar 2, 2010

Media panty-sniffers constantly run the line that privacy is trumped by this nebulous smoke monster called "public interest". Could anyone tell me what legitimate public interest is served by sniggering speculation about who Alison Mau might be fucking nowadays?
Let's just assume, for the sake of argument, that Mau is bisexual.
Is she hypocritically making homophobic statements or promoting laws to strip same-sex parents of their civil rights?
Does her private life have any meaningful impact on her ability to her job as an autocue reader at a state-owned broadcaster?
What?

North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report
giovanni tiso, 17:42 Mar 2, 2010

I trust Russell won't introduce her as "state-owned broadcaster autocue-reader Alison Mau", but otherwise, yes, the ever-increasing prurient bullshit has to stop.
Also: here's hoping I'll finally get to see Media 7. The channel is a recent addition to the basic Telstra cable package in Wellers but for the last two wednesdays I've been otherwise detained and in progressively catastrophic fashion. All going well, I have popcorn at the ready.

Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report
Russell Brown, 17:42 Mar 2, 2010

A British journalism professor does his nana about the way most news media have buried the Westminster select committee report on the News of the World's reprehensible campaign of hacking the communications of hundreds of people.
He's right, from what I can see. The free press are not always your friends, folks.

Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report
Pete Sime, 17:53 Mar 2, 2010

From the BSA document:
It is inconsistent with an individual’s privacy to allow the public disclosure of material obtained by intentionally interfering, in the nature of prying, with that individual’s interest in solitude or seclusion. The intrusion must be highly offensive to an objective reasonable person
Hopefully this will prevent the unseemly practice of trying to solicit comment when a person is clearly in shock or is suffering from grief. Or showing a door-knocking when the interviewee doesn't want to talk. But I doubt it.

Dunedin • Since Apr 2008 • 171 posts Report
Craig Ranapia, 17:59 Mar 2, 2010

I trust Russell won't introduce her as "state-owned broadcaster autocue-reader Alison Mau"
I think Russell could testify that autocue reading is much harder than it looks, and in my book anyone who can resist the urge to pull Paul Henry's spine out his arse and throttle him with it is more than halfway to sainthood.
He's right, from what I can see. The free press are not always your friends, folks.
OK, I can't disagree with Professor Cathcart but, just to play devil's advocate, I did have to have a little chuckle at this:
Talk about denial. Can the boys at the Sun not smell the foul odour from the office next door? Are they not curious about what is causing it?
Oh, they don't have to be curious -- they know. Perhaps I'm being a little too cynical here, but you think any tabloid (or broadsheet) was ever going to go down the road of mutually assured destruction by daring their own competitors to start digging into their own foetid closets?

North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report
Russell Brown, 18:00 Mar 2, 2010

I trust Russell won't introduce her as "state-owned broadcaster autocue-reader Alison Mau", but otherwise, yes, the ever-increasing prurient bullshit has to stop.
The debate there, of course is around to what extent people give up their privacy when they make their Faustian pacts with the "women's" mags.

Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report
Craig Ranapia, 18:04 Mar 2, 2010

The debate there, of course is around to what extent people give up their privacy when they make their Faustian pacts with the "women's" mags.
Slap me down if I've crossed a line, but do you and Fiona feel you've made a "Faustian pact" with anyone by being so very candid about your experience as the parents of autistic sons? Have you now suspended any expectation of privacy if, heavens forbid, a high profile media couple like you separated?

North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report
giovanni tiso, 18:21 Mar 2, 2010

The debate there, of course is around to what extent people give up their privacy when they make their Faustian pacts with the "women's" mags.
See, I just don't understand that. Is it a Faustian pact, or is it in fact a requirement of the job as an anchorperson? Is it even possible not to make a pact with the mags if you're Alison Mau? Withdraw your image? And then what would happen, seeing as it's unlikely that a sector of the public would cease to take a prurient interest in your life? I suspect Kurariki never made a pact with anybody, Faustian or otherwise, but that hardly protected him from the HoS.

Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report
Russell Brown, 18:22 Mar 2, 2010

Slap me down if I've crossed a line, but do you and Fiona feel you've made a "Faustian pact" with anyone by being so very candid about your experience as the parents of autistic sons?
Oh, I think about this a lot, and I don't buy into the axoim.
I waver a bit about people who have deliberately used the chequebook system for profile and profit, and then don't want to be in the magazines.

Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report
Russell Brown, 18:25 Mar 2, 2010

Is it even possible not to make a pact with the mags if you're Alison Mau? Withdraw your image?
John Campbell has made a pretty good job of that. But, as above, I'm not a believer in the idea that people lose all right to privacy if they've done a celeb story.

Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report
LegBreak, 18:30 Mar 2, 2010

And over the ditch it will be interesting to see how Lara Bingle goes.
Clearly, here's someone who has seriously courted the media for years.
But this Fevola guy has found a whole new shed of barrels and scraped them all.

Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1162 posts Report
giovanni tiso, 18:55 Mar 2, 2010

John Campbell has made a pretty good job of that.
I applaud him, although there's always one person whose image consists in not having much of an image. Also, describe to me what would happen if he were seen at a restaurant dating a bloke.
(If he is openly gay and it hasn't reached my admittedly insulated ears I would say well done to the man for keeping his affairs private.)

Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report
Sacha, 19:22 Mar 2, 2010

trumped by this nebulous smoke monster called "public interest"
At last, someone sheds light on what Lost is about :)

Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report
stephen clover, 19:26 Mar 2, 2010

At last, someone sheds light on what Lost is about
OMFG you're so right!

wgtn • Since Sep 2007 • 355 posts Report
deborah coddington, 19:39 Mar 2, 2010

Sorry I couldn't help with the programme Russell but I have other commitments down this way.The "pact", as some of you refer to it, and as I see it, is that when certain people, especially those who work in the media and know how the media operates, sell their own personal life stories to other media outlets - the happy wedding, the first babies, the painful separation but we're coping - they forfeit the right to complain when negative stories appear about them in the media. It's like Princess Diana - she played the press to her advantage then sulked prettily when they didn't dance to her tune. She made the stupid decision to leave the Ritz, when she saw all the paps waiting, and go to the apartment, when she new, for God's sake, that they'd chase her. If she'd stayed there and gone to bed she'd never have crashed. It was the most ditzy scatty thing to do. She should have just walked out the front door, posed for photos, talked to the snappers, then walked inside and had a nice night. Instead she had to be a drama queen. Alison Mau's drama on Breakfast Telly was auto-cued, for heaven's sake, it was done with the blessings of her employers. It's all a big media game and why not, if it boosts ratings/sales. No one is in this to lose money, lose jobs, or are they?

new zealand • Since May 2009 • 8 posts Report
Sue, 20:12 Mar 2, 2010

does using princess diana as example equate to something along the lines of godwins law?

Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 527 posts Report
Rich of Observationz, 20:21 Mar 2, 2010

I don't know, but there must be something seriously wrong when I find myself agreeing with Deborah Coddington.
(Was that the actual Ms C, or is it like the person who posts on here as Michael Savage?)

Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report
Rich Lock, 20:26 Mar 2, 2010

I believe it's the actual Ms C. And all her posts on here (yes, all six of them) have painted her in a far more flattering light than anything of hers I've read in the papers.

back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report
Russell Brown, 20:31 Mar 2, 2010

(Was that the actual Ms C, or is it like the person who posts on here as Michael Savage?)
That would be Michael Savidge. Real name.
And yes, that's Deborah. Extend the courtesy you would towards any other PAS poster who doesn't behave like David Garrett. But you knew that ...

Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report
Zippy Gonzales, 20:54 Mar 2, 2010

The best precedent for dealing with over-intrusive journalists was caught on camera but is sadly not on YouTube. Before Epic Beard Man, there was... Bob Jones.

Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 186 posts Report
Rich of Observationz, 21:04 Mar 2, 2010

Ok Deborah.
You're wrong. But I'm sure you're a lovely person.
Oh wait. On the subject of "princess" Diana, you aren't wrong. She was a publicity-mad lunatic, and if one goes hooning through narrow tunnels at 160kph with a driver who's off his face on booze 'n' drugs, one has to expect it to end in tears. Really.

Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report
Sacha, 21:10 Mar 2, 2010

the person who posts on here as Michael Savage
there's a mickysavage at te standard

Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report
johnno, 22:20 Mar 2, 2010

In Mau's comments on Breakfast, my recollection is that her greatest concern was that she was being stalked by a pap photographer for more than a month, often at times when her children were with her. I have a lot of sympathy for that. I can't think of any other type of NZ media organisation that would commission such an extended covert surveillance. As far as I'm aware, TVNZ's celebrity news readers are shopped out by the company's PR hacks, and don't have a lot of control over their interaction, nor do they receive any money themselves.
On a related note, I had to laugh when the magazine's publisher started harping on about accuracy! Just how may times have Brad and Angelina split up now?

wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 111 posts Report
Rich of Observationz, 22:42 Mar 2, 2010

there's a mickysavage at te standard
That may be who I thought of. Or possibly that's also our Michael Savidge. Or it's homage.

Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report