Privacy of public figures in the media; what are your thoughts?

[Matt N]

Hi guys. If you’ve been keeping an eye on the news recently, you might know that earlier this week, UK Education Secretary Gillian Keegan made the airwaves after being caught making a sweary outburst after an ITV News interview with her regarding the RAAC crisis in UK schools had concluded.

If you don’t know what I’m on about; after the interview had ended, ITV News seemingly kept rolling and caught Ms Keegan saying the following:

Does anyone ever say “You know what, you’ve done a f***ing good job because everyone else has sat on their a*se and done nothing”? No signs of that, no?

Or better yet, here’s the clip itself:


This clip has generated a lot of controversy, but there has also been argument that it should not have been aired by ITV News; indeed, complaints about the airing of the clip even made BBC Newswatch yesterday morning. With this in mind, I’d argue that this opens up a wider debate about the privacy of people in the public eye, so I’d be interested to know; how much privacy do you feel public figures should be afforded? In this particular instance, do you think ITV News should have shown this clip of Ms Keegan?

Personally, I think public figures are fully entitled to a private life and their own private opinions and such. In the instance of the clip of Gillian Keegan, I do not think that ITV News should have aired that clip. As far as Ms Keegan was concerned, the interview was over, and I think she should be entitled to express her own opinions and grievances privately and off-camera. The news outlets are arguing that showing this clip was “in the public interest”, but I personally disagree; I think that this was a private vent from Ms Keegan that she intended to be private, and I don’t think it should have been shown. It’s not as though she said it during the interview itself or anything.

In terms of the wider issue; I do think that public figures should be given at least a broad degree of privacy, and I’m not personally a fan of some of the journalism that often surrounds celebrities and other public figures. I think instances where a celebrity is going to a big event or doing something where they know and expect to be in the public eye is fair game to write about, but I’ve noticed that some media outlets often have a tendency to take pictures of celebrities undergoing their private lives in moments that were not necessarily intended to be made public, and I’m not sure how I feel about that, personally. I think you should be entitled to a private life regardless of how famous you may be, personally.

But I’d be keen to know; what are your thoughts on the topic of privacy for public figures? How much privacy do you think public figures should be afforded?

 

[Plastic Person]

I'm not convinced ITV are acting quite in the earnest public interest that they insist here, but do you not think there's a marked difference between the 'privacy' of Gillian Keegan, a powerful public servant as Education Secretary spitting bile seconds away from an interview supposedly being over, and somebody rooting through Taylor Swift's bins?

There are hundreds of variables within this question, and even events managed/contrived by public figures have their own boundaries which can become difficult to ascertain for the media. Watching this, I was not particularly shocked by the language or sentiment expressed; a sense of entitlement runs high in the upper echelons of the current government and you shouldn't hope to be an Education Secretary for the benefit of your own ego. Nonetheless, humans are fallible and complex beings (even Tories...), so while I don't think the clip endears her to the public, she's really just someone under pressure having a bad week.

In this instance, I think it's a storm in a teacup.

 

[Matt N]

I'm not convinced ITV are acting quite in the earnest public interest that they insist here, but do you not think there's a marked difference between the 'privacy' of Gillian Keegan, a powerful public servant as Education Secretary spitting bile seconds away from an interview supposedly being over, and somebody rooting through Taylor Swift's bins?

Admittedly, there are big differences between the two scenarios you describe, but I’d argue that Ms Keegan is still a public figure, and as the interview was over, I’d argue that she should have been afforded privacy when she vented rather than have ITV broadcast it to the world. Had she said this during the interview itself, it would have been different, but this was after the interview had concluded, so she would not have expected it to be a public-facing moment, so to speak.

 

[Alix]

I’m sure there’s an old saying about nothing ever being off the record as far as journalists are concerned. Gillian Keegan’s outburst was a moment of whining self pity that just so happened to be caught on camera. Shows she’s human, and that journalists will publish anything for clicks. She just has to chalk that up to experience and be more careful next time.

 

[AT86]

Context is key as always right? In the context of this government’s record in general and the handling of this particular issue - it seems totally valid to release that footage in my view.

 

[Tom]

If you choose a life of public service or celebrity then there has to be acceptance of what scrutiny that brings, anything else is just naïve.

 

[rob666]

In my humble professional and educated opinion...
Flip 'em.*
Politicians tend to get what they deserve.
There was more than one set of cameras about at the time, she said what she said without prompt.
Engage brain into motion before opening gob.
*editted for pottymouth...thought we were chatting politics in the Tavern.

 

[Dave]

She was working, it wasn’t her private life.

If I went into a meeting and swore I would be liable for disciplinary action and potentially referral to my professional body. That information would then be public.

It’s not like she said it to some friends at a private dinner party. The only people upset are supporters of the Tory Party, yet none of them will have complained when Gordon Brown was caught calling someone a bigot.

 

[Matt.GC]

When I saw the title of this thread, I thought it was referring to some celebrity having their phone hacked or something. What on earth has this got to do with privacy? As far as I can see;

She was in the company of journalists, so not in a private place.

She had a microphone on, knew she had a microphone on, knew she was stood in front of a camera and knew she was in front of journalists.

She's a government minister, a public servant, paid by us accountable to us, and didn't say anything of a private or intimate nature.

So, what's the problem? It's not as if someone has wiretapped her gynaecologist.