Is Personal Privacy still a Fundamental Human Right?

Article 12 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (United Nations)

• No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attack

This right is provided to every individual, however celebrities are discriminated against and denied this fundamental right

Celebrity Privacy Vs Freedom of Press is a catch 22 situation; where the privacy of a public figure is restricted by the freedom of the press. The fine line between the public and private life is often washed away by journalists for their 15 minutes of fame. Media created scandals are on the rise and these in turn are blamed on the voyeuristic tendencies of the society.

The media and the society, in general, feed off the misery of the celebrities who are crucified for their “fame and success” in life. Behind the veneer of success and fame, the hard work, personal sacrifices and vulnerability of public figures is often not recognized by the public.

The treatment of the alleged scandal by the Press is a classic example of a media circus which has assumed dinosauric proportions with print, e-media and visual media wanting their pound of flesh

March 2nd 2010:
Sun News, a regional network in Tamil Nadu with a world-wide audience, in their breaking news, telecasted a video, alleged to have been shot by a person, who surreptiously recorded events in a bedroom. The news channels were liberal with the names of the individuals, one of them being actress Ranjita and the other head of a spiritual organization. They claim to have telecasted this tape in the public interest. If that was true, wouldn’t it have been better left to the law enforcement authorities to investigate and do the needful? In a grab for ratings, they showed reckless disregard for the safety of the alleged individuals and other impacted parties.  Traumatized by the allegations, the constant media attention, and the one-sided verdicts and disruption of normal life are some of the effects on the impacted individuals, families and friends. To report an incident does not require the airing of such videos or making commerce by availing the said content on news websites. Ruining reputations is very easy and needs only a rumour in these days of internet village and that was done very effectively with this scandal – a professional actress’ years of hard work has been destroyed by one allegation. It is a moot point to talk about ethics and responsibility of the press since the guidelines of the Press Council of India stand violated in this case by a number of print, visual and electronic media. It is up to the affected individuals to seek redress via tedious litigation against powerful media houses. Is this what we are progressing towards – a developed economy and society where individual rights are overlooked with such ease?