MEDIA ISSUE 3 #

Rupert Murdoch Phone Hacking Scandle

 Issue: employees of British newspapers published by News International were accused of engaging in phone hacking, police bribery and inappropriate influence in order to publish stories. Phone hacking activities were limited to celebrities, politicians and members of the British Royal Family.

British Prime Miester announced that a public inquiry would look into the affair after police investigations had ended. A separate enquiry would also consider the ethics of the wider British media, and the Press Complaints Commission would be replaced entirely.

Rupert Murdoch, director of News International, admitted that a cover-up had taken place within the News of the World to hide the scope of the phone hacking.

source: http://images.bwbx.io/cms/2012-04-25/0425_murdoch_630x420.jpg

Source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/in-depth/news-of-the-world-hacking-scandal

My Perspective: I believe the invasion of ones privacy is a very personal attack. Privacy seems to be a growing concern for everyday Australians whether it is in dealings with individuals, businesses, government agencies or the media. It is particularly concerning as new technologies provides more opportunities for communication and new ways to compromise private information. At the moment there is no general right to privacy in Australia, therefore there is no certainty for anyone wanted to sue for a breach of privacy. This is something that I believe needs to be taken more seriously by the government as it can have huge implications on peoples lives.