Die media en privaatheidskending -nuwe eise verg nuwe denke

Abstract

In this article on ‘The media and the violation of privacy - new circumstances require new ideas’, the dilemma of ethics in journalism brings to the fore the question why responsible media so often stoop to the level of the yellow press. The author argues that the era of bedroom secrets featuring on the front pages of the press has dawned because we live in a time of greater voyeurism, as can clearly be seen in films. The recession in the country enforces fierce competition between opposing publications, which often results in extreme sensationalist reporting in order to sell more copies. The media consumer therefore determines the balance of decency and respectability and whether that balance is disturbed.