The Ethics of Courting the Press

As far as I can see, and correct me if I am wrong, the Leveson Inquiry seems to be a bit of a waste of time and money. It has celebrities complaining about the people who are keeping their profiles high. If you are in the public eye then the territory which goes with this is the fact that papers will print articles about you. I realise that a lot of people will say that printing the details of a Prem footballers extra marital affairs is not in the public interest and I agree it isn't. After all who really cares who is indulging in a shag-fest. There are however a certain part of the populous who are interested. The Mccanns despite their protestations, did court the press. They arranged the photocalls and arranged for the press to be around when they went on their totally spontaneous walkabouts. They created their own celebrity and now complain about it. Some of the things printed may have been hurtful and possibly not truthful but if they had co-operated with the PJ then things would have been different.

One point which made my blood boil when watching the 3 minutes of the coverage of the McCanns appearance at the inquiry was the fact that the reporter on the BBC report said that parts of Kate's diary were published by the Daily Express and this diary "was probably given to the papers by the Portuguese police". I can't see for one minute that they would do such a thing. This is yet another instance of the press not knowing and making up what they want.

From what I have seen and heard abouy the inquiry it would seem that it is another way of celebrities getting a few more minutes of fame, I haven't heard of anything which was detrimental to the individuals.

Reading this back it seems that I am rambling but I think you will get the gist of what I am trying to get to. ( I hope so!!)

Keela

Yes I agree with what you say. They used the Press and manipulated it for their own means. Some of the headlines were particularly bad but if they wanted to stop it they could have via the PCC. Gerry even mentioned Meyer was a close friend. But as the Diary was published first in the Portuguese press and then - according to Kate at the Leveson Enquiry - translated back into English as some of the meanings of words were changed ("fed up" instead of depressed I think it was). The assumption is I suppose it was leaked from the Portuguese Police. If Leveson makes his enquiries to find the original source I wonder who it will be.

But one should not assume anything.

Did the BBC say the Portuguese police gave Kate's diary or did they say alleged?

They could be in deep water if they said the police gave it just on Kate's "evidence"

So it's ok for the BBC to say things because Kate And Gerry....'said so'...yet
anyone else that quotes anything which is NOT pro McCann.....gets sued!!

I dunno Keela.

Sienna Miller changed her phone three times in succession. And Glen Mulcaire's notebook had all three numbers. There was a photo taken of her visiting a hospital. she was sitting on the floor and playing with a sick child. That photo was printed completely out of context, with one of the papers, not sure which, saying that she'd fallen down onto the floor drunk and had really embarrassed the charity, for which she was patron.

I felt very sorry for her. Sure, when she was a complete unknown, she may have been glad of any reporter showing any interest in her whatsoever, but does that mean that she deserves this kind of persecution later on?

Actors, singers, journalists, inventors, people with their own businesses all seek to publicise themselves.