Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Is life still private in the Internet age?
By Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Washington Blade
Published: 12/28/05
Excerpt:
"There is a fair amount of complexity and nuance" when reporting on private lives, said Kelly McBride,
an ethicist at the Poynter Institute, a media think-tank in St.
Petersburg, Fla. "Newspapers should be as precise about the
indiscretions as possible."
Jim West, the mayor of Spokane, Wash., was forced from office in a
recall vote earlier this month after newspaper coverage about his
private life that was clearly appropriate, McBride said. Earlier this
year, TheSpokesman-Review broke the story that West had
met younger men online for sex. He had offered them trips to
Washington, D.C., and internships with his office.
In the case of Mayor West, McBride said, "it was this abuse of power."
"The man lived outrightly as heterosexual, legislated against
gay-friendly causes," she said. "I don't think there's any question
that this was newsworthy. It's in the public interest to know how he
was using his power."
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