In her weekend column, The Toronto Star's public editor Kathy English (pictured) quotes a letter from Deborah Coyne, the mother of Trudeau's daughter:“The Toronto Star has every right to ask my daughter if she wishes to adopt a more public posture. In turn, she has every right to expect that when she says no, her answer will be respected with the same degree of dignity and courtesy that she always takes care to demonstrate,” Coyne wrote.
“She and I recognize there is a curious public. We also trust that same public would agree that no young woman should be subject to the unfortunate tactics that were employed to breach her personal privacy.”
English wrote: "As a mother, that strikes home. The idea of a journalist observing my daughter and taking her picture for a story that robs her of her desired anonymity disturbs me. Many newsroom moms expressed this same sentiment this week.
"Of course, our daughters aren’t the offspring of a former Canadian prime minister and there is indeed 'curious public' interest in this young woman.
"This story was much debated in the newsroom, in the blogosphere and on Twitter this week. In weighing the public interest with this young woman’s desire for privacy, I have to agree with the Star editor who rejected a freelance writer’s pitch to report on Sarah Coyne’s university life many months ago."
No comments:
Post a Comment