April 28, 2008

Naming and Shaming the ‘Freestate Four’: Privacy, Dignity and the Public Interest

MEDIA POLICY & QUALITY RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS
By admin 72 Comments

Media reports about the abuse of cleaning staff by students at the University of the Free State got horrified responses from various quarters. In this climate of public outrage, the print media had the choice of whether to make the identities of the offenders and victims public, or not. Most media seemed to have decided to publish the identities of the perpetrators, some media even added to the initial infringement on the victims’ dignity by revealing their identities. This article explores the ethics and reasons around this decision.