Governance of the media is a touchy subject because it is associated with the freedom of speech. The media has changed dramatically.
The way we get our information has changed. News has become 24/7 and instant. We are all part of areality show, thanks to our smart devises. But newspapers, radio and television still matter. They get their information from the internet and they spread their information via the internet.
Every day we are confronted with ethical issues regarding media. Remember the taping of phones by British media. The publishing of private topless pictures of the royals. The wiki leaks. Some basic principles do no longer apply. For example: listening to both sides of the story.
The question is what to do? Will we leave this to self-regulation by the media? Till now it has not worked.. Will we put in place a new code of conduct? Will we write new laws? In Curaçao efforts to regulate media up to now have not worked.
The point is that privacy is a human right and it is important for good governance to function. Citizens and politicians have the right to protect their privacy. Just as the financial sector experienced the need for more regulation and supervision, so will the media. We are just at the beginning of these development.