Privacy v. Media’s Right

Privacy v. Media’s Right

Internet has been around for as long as I can remember. To me, Internet is my life. Like many people, I don’t know what I will do if there was no Internet. I have devoted my self to it. 

I had to moved to different housing two weeks ago. My room was just so mess because of all the boxes and load of baggage. I could not find my phone for three hours and I felt like I miss something really important. I went just crazy. Even thought, I didn’t use my phone when I found it, I felt much better to just have it next to me. 

To me Internet is an advancement of communication that has been around for years.

The most important thing the Internet does is reaching. Internet connects people together. Internet allows people to communicate with each other over vast distances, and across all kinds of boundaries that formerly made communication difficult or impossible.

But there is other part of the Internet that has been issues for a long time.  Because you only can express your opinion with the words and people will not know who you really are, many people posts dirty word or even threat people online.

 

In past one year, five South Korea’s popular actresses and signer suicide themselves because of the Internet. One of South Korea’s most popular singer, U-Nee was found dead in apparent suicide after suffering from harassment by online rumors.  

U-Nee came to the public's attention under the name "Lee Hye-ryeon" with her 1996 debut in the KBS TV drama "Grown-ups Just Don't Understand." She appeared in the movie "Seventeen" in 1998, then in the TV dramas "Theme Game" and "Tears of the Dragon." Her debut album "Go" was released in 2003 and she gained even greater popularity with the 2005 release of her second album "Call Call Call." Her sexy dance moves and revealing fashions made her a favorite of teenagers across Asia.

According to her family, she suffered from depression from all the anti’s she’s had on line. And even now, those same stupid Anti’s are – as of this moment- typing how happy she dies and are sending hateful messages to her poor grief stricken grandmother and mother. Police Office says that they found her diary under her bed, which says how her anti’s make her crazy and make her self the worst person in the world.  She also wrote more than 30 times that she would want to commit suicide because of Anti’s.

One of South Korea’s most popular actresses was also found dead in an apparent suicide after suffering from harassment by online rumors about her allegedly irregular financial dealing, police said.

 Choi Jin-sil, 39, whose fame earned her the nickname "The Nation's Actress," is believed to have hanged herself in the bathroom of her Seoul home, said Yang Jae-ho, chief investigator at Seoul's Seocho Police Station.

Family members said she had been depressed because distraught over rumors online linking her to the suicide of a fellow actor a month ago, he said. She had denied the rumors that she had pressed the actor to pay back a large loan.

"It's obviously suicide," Yang told reporters, citing a doctor's examination of Choi's body and testimony from family members and friends. He said an investigation was under way.

 Choi's mother told police that the actress returned home drunk around midnight Wednesday, crying and denying the rumor surrounding the other actor's suicide, before going into the bathroom, Yang said.

 

Choi had been under stress following the rumors online that she had lent money to actor Ahn Jae-hwan, who was found dead in his car last month after committing suicide.

Choi denied the rumors and asked police to investigate who circulated the claims that Ahn killed himself after Choi pressured him to repay the debt.

There could be many times when Journalists need to decided what to put on the online. There are a lots of people, especially public figure, who suffer from the media

After Choi and U-Nee suffer from several South Korea Entertainments came to TV and ask media not to across the private line. While one Media corporation, SBS, said they will keep that line, many other broadcasting corporation said no because of the public interests.

 How should line between Privacy and Media Rights should define?  What is Journalists Ethics? I am not sure….but there are 10 Ethical Questions that, I learn from my Broadcasting II class, you can ask before you make decision.

1.     What happen? What is happening?

2.     What is my Journalistic purpose?

3.     What us my Ethical Concern?

4.     Which guideline should I follow?

5.     How can I include other people’s voice? What about the community?

6.     Who is going to get hurt? Who is going to get hurt?

7.     What if the roll is reverse?

8.     Am I doing what’s right? Is this conflict with my personal ethic?

9.     What are  my alternatives to maximize truth tell and minimize the harm?

10. Can I justice to others? Can I justice to myself?