Television Journalism and the Right to Privacy

A Frank Discussion About Privacy Rights and Television Production

Oct 1, 2009

Learn about the difficulties that television journalist face while reporting the story and ensuring they don't violate one's right to privacy.

Especially in today’s age of reality television and the seemingly ubiquitous nature of television access, the issue of television journalism and the right to privacy is an important topic for anyone associated with broadcast journalism of any kind. Although this issue may involve thousands of different situations, there are some main points that everyone must be aware of in order to keep from running into trouble – either with a television station or the law.

If someone is considered a private citizen and has not done anything to concede their unspoken right to treatment in the news or on television (either intentionally or unintentionally), the television station can be held liable for violating their “right to privacy.” However, if someone puts themselves into the public eye, by either running for public office or otherwise taking steps to become a public figure of some form or fashion, they can be filmed even in a rather personal manner without permission.

Is the Information Newsworthy or a Violation of One’s Privacy Rights?

A journalist or television crew cannot disclose even true facts about someone who is a private citizen without violating that person’s “right to privacy.” Facts that are personal, private, and not newsworthy or of public concern are not permitted by law to be published or otherwise filmed for disclosure on television.

A television crew can not intrude onto someone’s property to film without their permission and cannot even stand on public property while using a telephoto lense or special microphone to gain pictures of someone or something without being allowed to do so by the person involved. Otherwise, the cameraman or journalist involved would be guilty of “intrusion.”

The number of police-oriented shows is quite high, as is the number of reality based police shows where camera crews follow the police to film their actions as it relates to citizens. This fact raises the issue of whether camera crews should be able to film innocent family members or close of “wanted” citizens without their permission, especially within their houses. Television crews may blur the face of persons who do not give their permission for their likeness to be on T.V., however the fact that they may enter someone’s house on the tail of the police without the permission of the owner has been frowned upon by many courts.

For more information regarding television journalism and the right to privacy, take a close look at both the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. However, as this issue is one that has evolved over time through the courts, it is most important to look at recent court cases regarding television journalism to see what the state of the law truly is regarding this issue.

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The copyright of the article Television Journalism and the Right to Privacy in Television Production is owned by Kristi Carter. Permission to republish Television Journalism and the Right to Privacy in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.