A Fountain of Ethics

Megan Gorey
mg908407@ohio.edu

My whole life, we have had pit bull-terrier mix puppies as pets and have stood by the motto that you should only judge the deed, not the breed. And no matter how cruel, invasive, or mean you may feel that the media may seem… they are comparable to pit bulls.

It's easy to be angry.

It's often one of the easiest emotions. This is why it makes sense that the public would be outraged with the media immediately following Princess Diane's death. And in the wake of the tragedy, it was hard to remember all of the responsible, tasteful and tactful reporting that was done following all of her accomplishments in the palace.

In April of 2008, the editors of The Sun, Daily Mirror and News of the World admitted that they had helped create an atmosphere in which the paparazzi chasing Diana when her car crashed in a Paris underpass, were out of control. The media was wrong and had crossed the line. Period. End of the story.

However, as a journalist, I feel the need to distinguish myself apart from paparazzi. We may be from the same family, but for reporters and anchors, the paparazzi are more like our distant, delinquent cousin.

“The Diana Aftermath” article talks about the public opinion polls and the exercise of the First Amendment. Before any journalism student takes a college course, he or she learns that you have rights granted to you by the Constitution unless that right infringes upon the rights of another person.

The paparazzi infringed upon the rights of Princess Diana.