Public disclosure of private facts

At the Texas After Violence Project, we seek to do "the right thing," the ethical thing, insofar as we can discern what that is in given instances. We are guided by our Code of Conduct. We are also bound by the law.

In considering what responsibilities we owe non-narrators who populate the oral history interviews/narratives we record, especially as we prepare to publicize each individual story online, we need to be aware of a tort known as "Public disclosure of private facts."

This is a distinct tort. It is not the same as slander (generally oral) or libel (written), which are torts about making and publicizing false statements about a person.

The tort of "public disclosure of private facts" concerns "facts" or statements that are or might be completely true, but shouldn't be everyone's business.

Here is a nifty summary by the Digital Journalists' Legal Guide.

I'll be continuing to develop this page, and also welcome your research and contributions.
Virginia Raymond - July 8, 2011