Is Nothing Sacred?

Little known fact: Journalistic ethics, no that is not an oxymoron, require journalists to point out errors in publications. Errors in one`s own publication are corrected or identified as errata. Sometimes error corrections are even published with an apology. Mistakes made in publications by others must also be pointed out. Errors include plagiarism, factual errors, invasions of privacy and libel. Publishing something that nobody needs to know is an error of commission.

On September 9, 2009 the Gainesville Sun published something nobody needs to know, compounded by an invasion of privacy. The Sun invaded the privacy of the royal family of Great Britain. The royal family`s privacy has been invaded by the international press many times in the past forty years, but this is too much! On September 9 the Sun published a photograph of Queen Victoria`s bloomers. They weren`t referring to the royal garden, but rather to the Queen`s undies. Queen Victoria has been dead for 108 years. Nevertheless, it is possible to invade her privacy. Furthermore, who could possibly need to know the size or whereabouts of Queen Victoria`s bloomers?

Maybe September 9 was a slow-news day. No breaking news about Michael Jackson? Maybe the Editor-in Chief was on vacation. But not even the most enthusiastic anglophile needs to know the size of the royal bloomers. We ask all subscribers to the Gainesville Sun to call for an apology to the royal family and the readers of the Gainesville Sun.

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