Certain media outlets are expressing outrage that some of their fellow journalists came to an agreement with Britain's Royal Family, to suspend coverage of Prince Harry's Afghanistan deployment until his four-month tour was finished.
Certain major media outlets agreed, in return for a steady stream of photos and stories after the fact, to suspend airing news of Prince Harry's military adventures until he was reassigned out of combat. This was done for the very sane and sensible reason of avoiding making Prince Harry—and his squad mates—a particular target of terrorist attacks.
Some members of the notoriously cutthroat British press are up in arms about not knowing Harry was bearing arms in service of the realm. "The people have a right to know," they scream, which perhaps is best translated as, "We didn't get an exclusive, we didn't get a scoop! We didn't make a lot of money off of this!"
Indeed, a free press is essential to the proper functioning of any democracy; the press must be free to discuss the operation of the government without fear of retribution.
But Prince Harry, even though he might be the next King of England, is not really a member of the government. He is a celebrity, to be sure; every aspect of his life hitherto has been lived under the microscopic focus the paparazzi's long lenses. But in fact, he has every right to privacy that any other citizen has. And in a case like this, where the safety of the Prince and his fellow soldiers, would be severely compromised by a news leak, waiting until his service is over before reporting on it, seems only the decent thing to do. Any caring human being can see that.
But certain media vultures, more interested in the impact of the story on their own reputations than upon the subject of the story, are angry that they didn't get to wring every penny out of this story.
The people have a right to know? Don't they also have a right to live? Doesn't Prince Harry have the right to serve his country without the press increasing his personal peril? Don't the soldiers stationed alongside Prince Harry have a right to the same? Do these protesting media outlets care about Prince Harry, or those other soldiers, as anything except news hooks?
The people have a right to know, and in time, they would have. After Harry's four-month tour of duty was over, all media outlets would have been giving day-to-day reports and photos of every aspect of Harry's military life—photos of him on and off duty, stories of what he said and did every day. All media would have had equal access. And that is what really rankles the tabloids—they want a scoop, an exclusive, regardless of the cost to the story's subject. Venality and selfishness rule the day at the tabloids—quite a contrast to Prince Harry's willingness to risk life and limb in service of his nation.
Well, the media has its story—the same story it would have had a few months from now. And Prince Harry has lost a little bit more of his life; lost a chance to actually experience life as he decides. What has been gained?
What we have all gained is yet another chance to reflect on our values and how our values affect the way the world functions. Do we really value our right to know ever scrap of personal information about every celebrity's life to the degree that we are willing to imperil that celebrity, or to impede his or her life?
Do we really think "the Right to Know" applies to the private details of every person's life? Or is it that the "Right to Know," originally conceived to aid in the function of democracy, has limits? How many of us would be comfortable if our lives were scrutinized as closely as Prince Harry's?
The people's "Right to Know" has being co-opted not for the benefit of the "people"—that's you and I, and Prince Harry and his bunkmates—but for the benefit of a few media vultures who do not care at all about "the people" beyond making a profit off of us.
I think it is about time we say, "We, the people, are better than that."
Let the lad live his life; let him serve his country. It is a far more noble thing than any paparazzo does in the supposed service of "the Right to Know."
Refuse to buy the tabloids which complain that they couldn't pry into Prince Harry's life. Write protesting letters to the media who protest on behalf of the supposedly unbounded "Right to Know," even when the Right to Know conflicts with the more basic Right to Life.
In a capitalist Democracy, the media as well as the government we get are the ones we deserve. Let's demand a little better of both.
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