Overview:
The limits of privacy, and the intersection of privacy and news, are constant concerns and subjects of discussion among journalists. We will examine a case that questions one’s right to privacy when pitted against media interest. Please read the First Amendment issue below, take a stance on the issue, and support your position with textual evidence from the course textbook.
The First Amendment Issue:
Eight days after the murder of 26 people, including 20 children, in Newtown, Connecticut in December 2012, The Journal News, a suburban New York City newspaper, published an article titled “The Gun Owner Next Door: What you don’t know about the weapons in your neighborhood,” listing the names and addresses of hundreds of local residents who had gun permits. The information was taken from public records, and was presented on an interactive map created by The Journal News.
Some members of the public were furioius about the article, even going as far as threatening bodily harm to The Journal News staff. Widespread criticism came from the residents whose names and addresses were published, who claimed that the map and story were an unnecessary and even dangerous invasion of privacy. In fact, armed guards were placed outside the newsroom after the story was published.
Other members of the public were in favor of the map, claiming the paper had every right to publish the names and addresses of gun owners based on the First Amendment. People have a right to know whether their neighbors own guns, and the map did convey the powerful message that gun permit holders are all over the place. The Journal News itself claims that their readers are interested in knowing about guns in their neighborhoods, and the reactions of the gun owners only shows what tactics they will resort to when gun rights are threatened.
The Journal News maintained the map and story on its website for nearly a month, where it was viewed over 1.2 million times. But on January 18, 2013, in a letter published on The Journal News site, its publisher, Janet Hasson, wrote:
Today, The Journal News has removed the permit data from LoHud.com. Our decision to do so is not a concession to critics that no value was served by the posting of the map in the first place. On the contrary, we’ve heard from too many grateful community members to consider our decision to post information contained in the public record to have been a mistake. Nor is our decision made because we were intimidated by those who threatened the safety of our staffers. We know our business is a controversial one, and we do not cower.
But the database has been public for 27 days, and we believe those who wanted to view it have done so already. As well, with the passage of time, the data will become outdated and inaccurate.
If you are interested, here is a copy of the original article: The Gun Owner Next Door.pdf The Gun Owner Next Door.pdf – Alternative Formats
Your Task:
Focusing on the ethical dimensions of privacy and the media, write an opinion piece about The Journal News’s action. Choose a position (whether they were right or wrong to publish the article). Then formulate an argument and defend it using textual evidence from our textbook to support your position.
Requirements:
Your response should be 750 words minimum, excluding the title page and reference page.
You must use in-text citiations from our textbook to defend your position. If you simply create a reference page listing the course text you will not receive a passing grade. You must have in-text citations refering to the course concepts you are using to defend your position.
Compose your paper following APA format. A sample APA paper may be found under the “Course Documents” tab.
Avoid using AI. AI generated responses and/or plagiarized response will result in a failing grade without the opportunity for resubmittal.
Evaluation:
You will be evaluated on the paper’s content, your adherence to APA format, and readability of your essay (grammar). I expect to be able to read your paper for intellectual arguments only. Please proofread before submitting. Thanks!
