But journalists warn of rushing into legislation, with debate likely to be 'irrational' after Twins scandal
The constitutionally protected right to privacy must be upheld, legal and human rights experts have said in the wake of the Twins scandal, but they disagree on how that should be done.
Mike McConville, director of Chinese University's new law school and a member of the Law Reform Commission, said that while it was the publication of secretly taken photos of Twins star Gillian Chung Yan-tung that sparked the debate on privacy rights, it was regular people who suffered most from the lack of legal protection.
'Intrusion into people's privacy by the media can be extremely hurtful and is not confined to famous people,' Professor McConville said. 'Commonly victimised are those ordinary people who find themselves in unfortunate circumstances as victims of crimes or road accidents.'
He said such media intrusions could deeply affect them and they were less likely than celebrities to recover a more appealing public image. 'Without a privacy law, people have no protection in these circumstances. It is a difficult balance to strike between the privacy of individuals and the freedom of the press.'
He expressed hope the controversy surrounding Chung's photos in Easy Finder magazine would stimulate public debate on legal reform, such as that proposed by the commission since 1996.
But Woo Lai-wan, the recently elected chairwoman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, said the media should be concerned about the chief executive's call for a review of press freedoms amid such intense controversy. Talks were bound to be 'a little bit irrational' at this stage.
