In a remarkable case stemming from the right to privacy, the British tabloid News of the World actually closed for good a few years ago after a shocking phone hacking scandal. Watch this video to learn more about it.
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Creative Commons photo by Howard Lake
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Movie star Tom Cruise is currently involved in a libel case. Click here to read about it. He was also recently criticized for a controversial comment he allegedly made during his testimony in the case, but those remarks were apparently misquoted.
It is very said that Cruise doesn't/didn't see his daughter for lengthy periods of time while he was filming, and its awful that Suri has to live with that. And not to justify it, but HUNDREDS of thousands of young children do not have one, or both, parents in their lives from days, to months, to years, even their whole lives. So instead of just blaming Cruise and his decisions and his "apology" if he was truly sorry I'd like to see him challenge other fathers out there to spend time with their children. Any man can be a father, but to be a "dad", that takes something special that more men need to step up to the challenge of. There are millions of dads out there who are doing a wonderful job, and they need to keep it up for fathers like Tom Cruise and other farhers like him. As for the British Tabloid News of the World, that's shameful. The fact that there have been alligations since 2005 and nothing was done is pitiful. Its also disgusting that they hacked into phone lines of the families of the people from the transit bombings, they've gone through enough. Is it not enough?! Leave them alone to deal with their grief! Its disgusting that they're calling that "journalism" that is stealing and an invasion of privacy. Shame on the people who let that happen.
ReplyDeleteI don't know a lot about Tom Cruise and his reputation but I don't think any of these stories should be blown up this big. If he's a good father and he knows he is he should stop worrying about it so much and carry on and people will eventually see the good in him. On the other hand, these publications need to stop featuring false information or giving off the wrong idea because I don't think it's necessary for us to know anyways.
ReplyDeleteFor that newspaper that got shut down, I can't believe that people would even do that. It just fulfills the stereotype that reporters have no heart and will do anything for a story. I'm glad they've put an end to that.
I agree with Caitlin. I think that these stories should not be that big of a deal. Many children around the world have at some time felt abandoned and there have not been lawsuits over that. The cases with Tom Cruise seem somewhat ridiculous. I don't really think that either of these two statements said about Tom Cruise are harshly harming is reputation. Someone is not going to think a whole lot less of him because he said some semi-controversial comment about war; he is already a well-established celebrity.
ReplyDeleteThe above video and article on the News of the World phone hacking scandal are extremely upsetting. I can't believe that a newspaper would breach people's privacy like that. And while it is very sad that such a famous paper is being terminated, perhaps that is for the best. As for the controversy involving Tom Cruise, it is really unfortunate that he was vastly misquoted, and the reporter(s) who messed up on that should receive some sort of punishment.
ReplyDeleteThe British tabloid phone hacking scandal is outrageous. I can't believe I didn't know that happened until now. In this day and age, it keeps getting easier to access people's private information due to technology. Like Simone said, the thing that bothered me the most was that the tabloid hacked into the phones of the transit bombing victims' families. It's sad to see how the world of journalism can be so dishonest. It's also upsetting how far some journalists will cross the line just to get a story. As for Tom Cruise's comment, I certainly hope he was actually misquoted. That comment is extremely controversial because I'm pretty sure fighting in a third-world country like Afghanistan is a lot different than being a pampered Hollywood celebrity.
ReplyDeleteI remember when the British tabloid story first came to light. I remember thinking, "why would someone do something like that for a story?" Just like Bridgette said, with technology nowadays it's easier and easier to hack into someone's personal life. Look at the NSA and Edward Snowden! As for the Tom Cruise stories, it's unfortunate that he was misquoted to seem like he is a bad father to Suri. The paparazzi always want to get that scandalous and shocking story that will have everyone talking, even if it means bending the truth a little bit. I believe that this is a good example of how libel can ruin the reputation of people.
ReplyDeleteLike Katie, I remember hearing about the phone hacking scandal surrounding News of the World. I did not know much about it at first, but the video above really made me quite upset. As others previously stated, it is disturbing to know that some of the journalists working for News of the World were willing to hack into the phones/voicemails of the families of bombing victims, among others. It is disappointing to know that there are journalists out there that are okay with putting aside their moral judgement to get a "good" story. The misquoting of Tom Cruise was certainly wrong, but I don't think it really hurt his reputation. I can see why he is upset with the stories about his daughter, though, and I am interested to see the outcome of the hearing.
ReplyDeleteI was astonished by these videos and articles because of how little privacy celebrities get. It is shameful that Rupbert Murdoch had to shut down his newspaper because, it didn't hurt him but it did hurt all the employees under him. If the paper could just provide journalistic stories with integrity many people wouldn't be out of a job. Murdoch still owns several other publications and stations and was more then likely unharmed financially by the ending of his paper. In relation to Tom Cruise, not seeing his daughter or seeing her is not any of our business. Like Simone said, there are many people who go for extended periods of time without seeing a parent. The giant focus that this is given is irrational because of the lack of importance. Unless people will begin a coalition against "dead-beat dads" then this is just for entertainment. In the media what you say about people you need to be careful. Today we fly off the record with our mouths and say or post things we don't mean but become offended when we're called out for these things. I think that in the case of libel publications need to respect the privacy of people and others need to focus on more pertinant issues.
ReplyDeleteI was very surprised to watch the video about the British tabloid to say the least. I had no idea a newspaper would go through such lengths just to get gossip on celebrities, it's very disappointing. And like previous comments have stated, I do not think that the Tom Cruise libel case should have been blown up. And even if it was true many children in the world feel abandoned by their parents. In libel cases such as this one, people need to respect privacy and known how far to take things.
ReplyDeleteNews of the World has been publishing since 1843 and to hear that it was closed down due to a phone hacking scandal is sad. I find the actions of the journalist(s) involved with the scandal to be selfish on many levels. Their intrusive actions invaded the privacy of prominent figures and cost many innocent employees’ their jobs. I’m glad justice was served but annoyed that a newspaper with lots of history, even though tabloid, had to close.
ReplyDeleteThe Tom Cruise controversy showed me how important it is to use correctly quote someone. Changing a few words or exaggerating can easily damage someone’s reputation and put you at risk for a libel case. I’m glad there are laws dealing with libel so celebrities or anyone in the public eye can have the respect they deserve.
I agree with with the fact that hacking into voicemails of celebrities is ridiculous. Not only was the newspaper doing this to famous icons, but families who had just lost their loved ones. I thought that was completely wrong. They had no respect for their personal privacy. I think that reporters need to be able to draw the line between hacking and investigative journalism. The News of the World tabloid obviously crossed this line. Once, you are invading someones personal life, there is something wrong. Like Katie and Bridgette said, I agree that technology is making it easier for reporters to hack into personal lives of people. This allows for journalism to be more dishonest in the way information is obtained.
ReplyDeleteI've always though of tabloids as news scum, and I haven't believed the lies on the headlines since I was ten and read stuff about my favorite Disney stars. So when I read the Tom Cruise is suing one of the tabloids for the lies about his relationship with his daughter, I questioned why he even bothered. However thinking about it, I tried to imagine how angry I would be if in his saturation. Tabloids have no right to take lies and publish then thus ruining people's lives. Celebrities are no different than other people, and they don't deserve this type of harrasment. I was surprised to read that the lawyer of the tabloid was defending the article claiming it to be "important information for the public", if Tom Cruise wasn't a movie star, no one would care about he and his daughter. The editorial discussing the difference between tabloids and investigative news is spot on when he talks about tabloids releasing information that only hurts people instead of informing the public of important things that concern mant people personally. I think it's incredibly disrectful of tabloid reporters to go to such extreme limits (such as tapping voicemails shown in the video) to release information that doesn't benefit anyone. In my opinion, tabloid articles will never be considered news and are poisoning
ReplyDeletethe way people see journalists.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that obtaining information on celebrities has gone too far. I believe that they should be allowed more protection and privacy from the poparazi and harassment. I think that it is very said that Tom Cruz had to go throught the ordeal that concerned the negative article and his daughter. Journalists need to stop writing and publishing false information to hurt an celebrities reputation.
ReplyDeleteAgreeing with many other responses, It was appalling to see how far these "journalists" will go to somehow get a scrape of newsworthy information on not only celebrities, but families who have already been through so much pain in losing their loved ones. Hacking into these people's voicemails, is a disgusting invasion of privacy and completely wrong. In addition, I think that by suing for libel Tom Cruise is making a brave stand. Tabloids have been invading celebrities lives for far too long, treating them as if the lies they create don't hurt them. Celebrities aren't these emotion-less creatures, they're humans too and have feelings just like everyone else, they don't deserve this kind of harassment. It's about time that one of our famous figures takes a stand, and Cruise is doing just that. Hopefully his case, will not only open many people's eyes, but put a dent in the tabloid business as well. Agreeing with what Paisley previously stated, I don't believe tabloids to be anywhere close to news and see them as, "poisoning."
ReplyDeleteAlong with other commentors, the I found the British tabloid case to be disheartening for the world of 'journalism', and also embarassing for its owners. Along with other responses, I didn't think the main point in the Tom Cruise case was really about if his story with his daughter was big news or not, but was really about his reputation being defamed and damaged. Whether people care or don't care about Tom Cruise's personal life or that he's a celebrity does not matter- he still has the right to privacy and that was how I interpreted the article. I think both of these cases, as well as the Cruise quote taken out of context, illustrate the nasty turn for the worse some 'journalists' have taken. I also agree with Brant Houston's editorial that true journalism seeks to expose injustice, mistreatment, and needed reformations in society to make things better, while this sensationalist junk's only purpose is to tear people down, while breaking the very principles a true journalistic publication is built on. I think that if publications continue to take the lazy route of embarrassing people, falsifying statements, and compromising values just for a few extra bucks, over truth-seeking, dedicated, and hardworking investigative journalism, the media will lose its ability to be a beacon of light for the public, and will resort to being the place where people will go to find trashy, mindless stories and unethical practices.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Caitlin and Olivia when they said that they were shocked that a newspaper would even do such a thing! Personally I think that it is appalling that people can sleep at night knowing that they have invaded the privacy of people. It seems like the typical move of a tabloid to invade ones privacy is proven to be right in this situation. I also think that Caitlin makes a very good point when she said that Tom Cruise should just prove that he has changed, but the publications should look at their information more carefully so they don't give out any false information. Although, I did realize that if one is misinterpreted they can get very defended especially if that person is a well know source, like Tom cruise.
ReplyDeleteI think it was wrong to shut the newspaper down. They were trying to stereotype news reporters to make them look like the bad guys. As for Tom Cruise, I think he Sally is a good father and people are invading his space and his personal business. I agree with everyone that says they thought that the case was blown out of proportion.
ReplyDeleteLike Katie, I remember hearing about the phone hacking scandal. It is almost disgusting how easily someone's personal information can be hacked into. Similarly to others, I also think that it is getting easier and easier to hack into peoples personal information. With all the new and advancing technology we need to be more careful and cautious about personal accounts, sites and information.
ReplyDelete