Freedom of the speech and the right of the press to publish news and opinions unreservedly are the

backbone of a democratic society. Nevertheless, in era of morbid fascination with celebrities ,

scandals and human tragedies , the balance between freedom of the press and an individual’s right
to privacy has become a matter of heated debate. To my mind, such a balance can only be attained
by imposing restrictions on the press.

To begin with, stricter limits should be set concerning media intrusion into celebrities’ personal lives.
Most celebrities are forced to endure constant harassment as they are literally stalked by paparazzi
at every waking moment. What makes matters even worse is that most tabloids will not hesitate to
distort the truth in order to increase their circulation. Once an obscene story is published or an
unjust accusation made, little can be done to erase it from the public’s memory.

In addition, tabloid newspapers exploit the pain of ordinary citizens by publishing stories of terrible
tragedy in such a way as to sensationalise them, with no regard for the victim’s pain and suffering .
In these cases, people should be protected and allowed to keep their private lives private. The press
should not abuse the situation but rather help these unfortunate people retain their personal
dignity.

At the other extreme, while it is essential that a certain amount of control be exercised, censorship
can become a dangerous tool in the wrong hands. It is often argued that once a government start
monitoring what the media can or cannot say , there is a risk of putting too much power in their
hands. The solution here would be to make certain that articles are deemed newsworthy in order to
be published , and , in this way the privacy and dignity of the individual would be preserved rather
than exploited.

In conclusion , it seems logical that some limitations be imposed upon press media whose sole intent
is to make money by selling stories of human degradation and pain. Regrettably, this can only be
accomplished if strict measures are taken. Otherwise, tabloid newspapers will continue peddling
sensationalist stories to arouse and satisfy the public’s insatiable curiosity.