Blog 4 – Celebrity Children in the Media by Kaylee Corl

Situation Definition:

As discussed in lecture, there is a fine line when it comes to providing privacy for children in the media, especially celebrity children, and also give them a chance to be present in their famous parents’ lives. The ethical issues at stake can be found in the SPJ Code of Ethics. These ethical principles are “use heightened sensitivity when dealing with juveniles” and “balance the public’s need for information against potential harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance or undue intrusiveness” (SPJ, 2014). With these ethical principles involved, we must balance a child’s importance in the celebrity family without overly exposing their privacy.

Analysis:

In the class discussion of invasion of privacy, privacy is the right to be left alone. There are challenges, though, being a child of a famous person. Public places are not off-limits to media and reporting. A celebrity’s residence, unless they wish to welcome the media into their home, is off-limits and is considered an invasion of privacy if reporters cross that line. According to a study done by Communication & Society, two models of celebrity magazines can be distinguished: a consensual and a tabloid model (Marôpo & Jorge, 2014). The consensual model shows a high-class celebrity family and a sort of intimacy within the family whereas the tabloid model should follow ethical principles from the reporters and is more of an outside perspective of the story. Children deserve their privacy, even though they belong to a family of well-known celebrities. There is nothing wrong with a family being proud of their children and expressing their love for them by letting the world know who they are, but the parents must use caution and provide their children with safety and respect. As the child becomes a legal adult, they can then make the decision for themselves if they choose to put their lives in the spotlight or not.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, to appropriately balance a child’s importance in the celebrity family without overly exposing their privacy, the parents must be the major protectors and regulators of the media exposure of their children. I learned that there are two kinds of models dealing with celebrity media representation and that children should have a heightened protection, celebrity or not, against exposure in the media. Celebrity private lives seem to be on the rise with reality television shows and more social media platforms as common place in everyday lives, connecting celebrities and civilians. This case seems to be of upmost importance, especially for juveniles of celebrity families to learn the balance of their presence in the spotlight.

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