Over the edge with disrespecting freedom of the press

Lauren Thiery
Features Editor, the North Star

The world of journalism relating to celebrities, and the rock scene in particular, is vastly different from an everyday news story. The paparazzi and so-called “journalists” alike who hound and stalk celebrities in both their public and private lives bring disgrace to the journalism community. While they should be doing their jobs with honor and integrity, they do it unjustly and improperly to the point of hurting whoever their subject is. Their scandal does not protect the right to freedom of the press, as guaranteed by the First Amendment.

A perfect example of this unconstitutional journalistic approach of writing is intertwined in the Rolling Stone story, “Over the Edge With Pete Doherty,” by Mark Binelli. Although stories about rock musicians will typically and truthfully be filled with crude humor, details of an edgy lifestyle and references to illegal activities, they should be reported with integrity. Although these aspects of the person's life may be true, emphasizing them and detailing them to the degree of degrading someone is an improper use of journalistic writing.

For example, in Binelli's story, he writes, “At that moment, the door bursts open and a young woman races past us. She is crying hysterically and not wearing enough clothes for this frigid night. Johnny frowns, then shepherds me inside.” This event was observed at 3:30 a.m. when Doherty, singer of rock bands The Libertines and Babyshambles, was not aware of his visiters peering into his windows. Also, after describing an incriminating tour bus scenario involving heroin and cocaine, he writes, “Moments later, Doherty boards the bus, squints at me and says, ‘You always manage to turn up at the best times, don't you?’”

These two quotations are merely a sample of countless occasions when the line of what is appropriate journalistic behavior and what is not is crossed. Although this particular story is about a British man, who the First Amendment does not apply to, ethical journalism should still be prevalent because instances such as this are only too common around the world. It doesn’t matter what country a story is written in—there should be a universal ethical and moral journalistic approach to writing in which the writer delivers their story honorably and not under false pretenses.