Media Ethics Featured in Variety of Press Reports
Aug 25th, 2008 • Posted in: NewsA strange case apparently involves TV-anchor rivalry in Philadelphia; toughened defamation laws in Britain cited as cause of “libel tourism”; Apple checks into claims that iTunes downloads have been blocked in China because of pro-Tibet album
PHILADELPHIA and LONDON
The intersection of media and ethics was a busy place last week, with these reports figuring in world headlines:
- A bizarre story involving a fired Philadelphia anchorman was capped by his guilty plea last week, as former KYW anchorman Larry Mendte pleaded guilty in federal court to hacking his former co-anchor’s email account. Trade journal Broadcasting and Cable reports that Mendte was charged with accessing Alycia Lane’s personal email account and leaking some of the information to a local newspaper. Mendte was fired in June, and Lane was let go earlier in the year following a late-night confrontation with a police officer in New York City. Lane’s attorney, who has filed a gender-discrimination suit against the station, claims that Mendte leaked headline-grabbing information about the police incident and other stories out of jealousy over his co-anchor’s rising popularity and salary, according to Broadcasting & Cable. Mendte could be sentenced to up to six months in prison.
- British libel laws, which were recently revamped and made much tougher on the media, are stifling free speech — not only in Britain, but also around the world, according to a report from the United Nations’ Committee on Human Rights. The London-based Independent reports that a study from the committee says that U.K. defamation law has discouraged critical reporting on subjects of public interest, and also has prompted plaintiffs to engage in “libel tourism,” where foreigners use the High Court in London to sue publishers. The report cites the case of a U.S. author who was sued in London by a Saudi businessman over a book that was not published in the United Kingdom, according to the Independent. Twenty-three copies however were sold into the jurisdiction via the Internet.
- Apple Computer is investigating claims that its iTunes online music store has been blocked in China after a pro-Tibet album starting selling on the site, the BBC reports. Beijing authorities had not commented by the time the BBC report was filed, but activists claim the site was blocked soon after “Songs for Tibet” was released.
Sources: Broadcasting & Cable, Aug. 22 — BBC, Aug. 22 — Independent, Aug. 14 — Broadcasting & Cable, July 22.
For more information, see: Related Newsline story, Aug. 4 — Related Newsline story, Mar. 31 — Related Newsline story, Oct. 15, 2007 — Related Newsline story, Apr. 16, 2007 — Related Newsline story, Oct. 16, 2006.
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