16 August, 2006
“Sections of the media have scored an own goal” said Professor David Flint, ACM National Convener.He was referring to the action of a London tabloid in publishing old photographs of Prince Harry with the obvious intention of deceiving readers into thinking they were recent and thus compromising. This deceit must be condemned.
“Following the arrest of an editor and journalists accused of hacking private message banks of the Royal Family and other prominent people, it is difficult not to conclude that this was some form of revenge or warning not to test the power of the press to intrude,” he continued.
“The media outlets that took this story up uncritically did not react with their usual skepticism . This is because of a belief that when it comes to certain people, particularly royalty, their lives are now open to unlimited intrusion, with untested rumour reported as fact, all unregulated by any ethical standards or now , it seems, even by the law,” he concluded.