The right to privacy and the role of the media with respect to civil court decisions

Maria Łoszewska-Ołowska

As new technological advances are achieved and advances in mass media communication follow in suit, the right to privacy takes on a new meaning. There is no doubt today that privacy is an autonomous personal right, protected with the same severity as other rights of this nature. Because of the apparent complexity in identifying elements that make up this right, the general trend is rather to define its boundaries. These boundaries have to carefully balance the individual right to privacy and the mass media’s right to information. A compromise of sorts in this regard can be the publication of information and data that are of a private nature when these are in conjunction with public activity. The media also needs to be able to identify what type of value and right can be violated by the publication of a press article. The boundaries of permitted infringement become more defined when we encroach on private issues

KEYWORDS

privacy, right to privacy, private and family affairs, agreement, public activity, press, media, divil decisions