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Reporters who leaked Prince Harry’s whereabouts went WAY too far!
By Lauren | February 28, 2008
I was absolutely outraged to learn just minutes ago that the international news media had leaked the fact that Britain’s Prince Harry is fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. How they got the specifics of Prince Harry’s whereabouts apparently is as yet unknown, but by publishing the story these reporters put the prince and his fellow fighters in terrible danger.
Prince Harry was banned from serving in Iraq last year when specific death threats were made against him. The fact that he has chosen and, in fact, insisted upon serving with the British military in these dangerous times is a tribute to his courage and commitment to his people. Regardless of what one thinks of the war, Prince Harry deserves tremendous respect for refusing to hide behind his privileged position.
As a member of the British royal family, however, Prince Harry makes an especially tempting prize. Now that his position can be pinpointed, the prince and his comrades in arms are almost certain to become a prime target. Many lives may be lost because a few reporters sought to make their fortunes by breaking the news blackout that protected the prince’s regiment.
The story appears to have been published first in an Australian magazine and a German newspaper before being picked up by the U.S. Web site, “The Drudge Report.” The owner of the site is Matt Drudge, a man whom the London Telegraph calls the “world’s most powerful journalist.” Drudge clearly has some remarkable sources, and he’s made a name for himself by blowing the lid off of some extremely controversial stories. It was Drudge who broke the news of the Monica Lewinski scandal, a story that led to President Clinton’s eventual impeachment. And, ironically enough, it was Drudge who just this week posted a photo of Barack Obama that he claimed to have received from Senator Hillary Clinton’s Presidential campaign staff in what the Telegraph characterized as an apparently “brazen attempt to fuel rumours that her rival was a dangerous Muslim.”
It’s one thing for a reporter to make a professional reputation by going after powerful politicos — politicians choose to court public attention, after all, and actively seek the media limelight that sometimes reveals their clay feet. It’s quite another matter, however, to risk innocent lives in the name of personal glory. The reporters who chose to build their reputations on the personal safety of Britain’s courageous fighters did a truly terrible thing.
Topics: Business Ethics |