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Discuss this ethical quandary from Italy: Author has been writing books for years, has given written interviews but no book tours, wants anonymity

Posted by Max Oct 3 '16, 13:29

Journalist analyses her writing and publishes a conclusion about her identity.
Author says that if she can't have her privacy she'll stop writing.
Authors side against journalist.

What's fair game?

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-37539258 (www.bbc.com)

Responses:

Ultimately, my thinking is that this isn't much different from what a legal investigator would do when, say, verifiying an insurance claim. - Roger More Oct 3, 14:39 3
- yeah, I could agree with that in this case. Less so in the case of Primary Colors. - Max Oct 3, 14:44 1
  - for me, the only possible unfairness towards james frey was how she went at him as if he had done something truly heinous vs. being a liar in what was - b. Oct 3, 14:49
- The link within the link covers this a bit... -- (link) - . Oct 3, 14:43 [Backboard]
I think my views are hypocritical. I side with celebrities and anti-pap laws. Hulk Hogan may be scum but he deserved that win. - Max Oct 3, 13:44 11
- And a purpose of that brand was to protect her privacy. -- nm - . Oct 3, 13:52 10
  - If you're in witness protection hiding and want to draw out your potential killer, by all means release a video of yourself on the internet (B99) - Max Oct 3, 13:54 9
    - If she's always written under that alias your argument doesn't hold water. -- nm - . Oct 3, 13:58 8
      - It's the "I sought privacy by drawing attention to myself" argument that doesn't hold water. - Max Oct 3, 14:03 7
        
        And would you put the whole truth in a fake bio if you wanted to remain to remain private? -- nm - . Oct 3, 14:21 2
        
        no, I *would not create a bio* if I wanted to remain private. -- nm - Max Oct 3, 14:27 1
        
        In all probability the publisher did it because it's expected and not having one would be more of note. -- nm - . Oct 3, 14:38
        
        Is there a link to that interview? -- nm - . Oct 3, 14:14 2
        
        It was on BBC radio, played over WAMU.org this morning - see if they have an archive. -- (link) - Max Oct 3, 14:18 1
        
        this partially , the journo reasoning does him no favors.. -- (link) - . Oct 3, 14:29
        
        Then by your reasoning maybe she wanted an excuse to retire from writing. -- nm - . Oct 3, 14:10
I feel bad for the author, especially if there were some reasons (personal safety, etc.) for the anonymity in the mix; but it's not reasonable - b. Oct 3, 13:43
It's a simple request to honor someone's privacy. The journalist failed an unwritten exam on job ethics. - David Oct 3, 13:43 6
- What if the book has controversial things like racists views, misogynistic themes, but still fiction. And there was a desire to know who it was? - Bacon Oct 3, 13:57 3
  - There are no absolutes. If the book depicted a terrorist act eerily similar to one that had previously transpired... - David Oct 3, 14:12 2
    - ...then I'd be looking at Catherine Tramell. Looking real close. -- nm - Max Oct 3, 14:14
    - fair enough -- nm - Bacon Oct 3, 14:12
- The journalist, or the editor who published his article? -- nm - Max Oct 3, 13:45 1
  - I'm not crazy about either one, but the answer depends on who chose the story. -- nm - David Oct 3, 13:45
Her books are public, she has made a point of being private - . Oct 3, 13:39
screw the journalist -- nm - CQ Oct 3, 13:39
I feel bad for the author, but anonymity is never a guarantee. I side with the journalists. - ML Oct 3, 13:37 13
- But what's the public interest in this case, exactly? -- nm* - Roger More Oct 3, 13:47 12
  - Anything in commerce is in the public interest, even if it's mundane. Ask the question: should there be a law limiting free speech to analyze art and - Max Oct 3, 13:51 6
    - No - because as you said when you started the thread, this isn't a legal issue, just an ethical one. -- nm - Roger More Oct 3, 13:53 5
      - I think one begets the other. But, I can see that argument compared to the ethics of reprinting the end of a novel or a movie. -- (edited) - Max Oct 3, 13:55 4
        
        So the journo wanted to be famous for uncovering her real identity. -- nm - . Oct 3, 14:26
        
        I don't think so. If you tell me a secret and I tell it to a journalist, who then publishes it, what legal recourse do you have? - Roger More Oct 3, 13:59 2
        
        I tacked on a statement above, but what I meant was that looking at the law can help reason out the ethics. -- nm - Max Oct 3, 14:00 1
        
        The law is pretty selective at what it looks at, and it doesn't have its basis in ethics. -- nm - Roger More Oct 3, 14:07
  - The ID of a writer of very popular books. Did ya'll have a problem when the Sunday Times unmasked Robert Galbraith to be JK Rowling? -- nm* - ML Oct 3, 13:50 1
    - The purpose of that nom de plume was probably different. - . Oct 3, 13:55
  - Journalism does not have a public interest test it needs to meet. -- nm - Name Withheld by Request Oct 3, 13:50 2
    - It doesn't, but if a story doesn't appeal to the public it won't be written. - ML Oct 3, 13:51 1
      - Thanks, I was asking to get an understanding of what definition of public interest you were referring to. -- nm - Roger More Oct 3, 13:55
A lot of people want things but they don't always get them. I side with Journalist. -- nm - Bacon Oct 3, 13:36
#TeamJourno -- nm - Name Withheld by Request Oct 3, 13:35

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Discuss this ethical quandary from Italy: Author has been writing books for years, has given written interviews but no book tours, wants anonymity

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