From the Leveson report, released in the past hour:
3.4 The existence of a private sphere is vital for human development. It is the space in which individuals are able to experiment with preferences and build personal relationships beyond public scrutiny and judgment. Violations of the private sphere prevent individuals from obtaining these benefits. The private sphere is also critical to personal autonomy as a space over which an individual exercises control. To invade someone’s privacy disregards that individual’s choices as to when and by whom he or she will be seen and what personal information he or she will divulge…
3.6 Where the public interest in free expression, in holding power to account, and in the pursuit of wrongdoing are all aligned on the one hand, and conflict with the public interest in an individual’s privacy on the other, it is clear that the balance will be able to come down in favour of the former. But again, it is important to keep in mind that the public interest in privacy, although compromised, never completely goes away. Violation of the private sphere must always be proportionate to any larger public interest being served..
3.9 To treat an individual merely as something to be talked about, reported or looked at against his or her wishes is contrary to the public interest in individual autonomy, and to the ethical imperative to treat individuals as an “end” and not simply as a “means”.
Precisely. Leveson’s verdict isn’t quite as entertainingly-written as Mr Justice Eady’s back in 2008, but it’s another huge milestone for those concerned about press intrusion into people’s private lives. When Max Mosley’s first publicly-quoted reaction is that “‘It certainly is a very thorough document and it’s in many respects better than one could have hoped”, one has to be encouraged.