The Media Guardian had a look at the Digital Doorstepping issue on Monday. (I'm reliably informed that doorstepping is the act of going house to house in serach of reaction, doorstopping is where you're getting to the point of physically stopping somebody shutting the door.) The article is, unsurprisingly, somewhat ambivalent about the whole issue.
However, a comment Jackie left on Antony's blog highlighted just how insensitive and intrusive it can be:
What's chilling is how journos are staking out Facebook and starting 'tribute' groups to victims as soon as something like this happens. I saw this firsthand when English teacher Lindsay Hawker was murdered in Japan a few weeks ago: I was invited to one of those groups, joined, and was suddenly inundated with journo requests from Closer magazine and others, who thought I was a friend of the girl's and wanted a tell-all interview for their own 'tasteful tributes'. You can imagine my response to the journalists.
Yes, I can.
April 25, 2007 10:21 PM | Reply
Actually, doorstepping is waiting on (or outside) someone's door, waiting for someone to come out so you can thrust a lens or mike in their surprised face and demand comment. Doorstopping is then stopping them getting back inside said door.
April 25, 2007 10:24 PM | Reply
There you go. Further proof that I've never muddied my business journalist purity with that mucky consumer stuff.
May 3, 2007 10:15 AM | Reply
And local media. The baptism of fire for any regional newspaper rookie hack.
May 3, 2007 10:19 AM | Reply
And a question for Jackie: why did you join the Facebook Lindsay Hawker group in the first place?