Dim reality.

Broadcasting & Cable, June, 1998

We disagree with the California Supreme Court's decision to allow an accident victim to sue "reality TV" producers for invading her privacy during a report on an emergency rescue. Although the court says that the state can't constitutionally intrude or dictate what is broadcast ("sit as superior editors of the press"), it does just that when it accuses the media of tyranny and rules that "the public has no legitimate interest" in reporting practices the court finds distasteful.

The ruling, we fear, is another example of the antimedia backlash that has unfortunately and inappropriately swelled since the death of Princess Diana. Increasingly, governments seem to be attacking the media-not just for the substance of reporting but for the means of reporting....

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

Premium Content Partnership | HighBeam Research provides an in-depth online archive library of reference works.