Amy Jacobson sues CBS 2 Chicago

[Chicago Dog]

A continuation of a story that's probably going to live a long, long life in ethics and morality classes in just about every school of journalism in every university and college in the United States:

Amy Jacobson sues CBS 2 for airing bikini video

One year after a secretly recorded videotape of her in a bikini derailed her career as a Chicago television news reporter, Amy Jacobson is fighting back.

On Monday, Jacobson filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2 for airing the tape of her at the home of Craig Stebic, the southwest suburban Plainfield man whose estranged wife, Lisa, has been missing since April 2007.

The tape of her at Stebic’s backyard pool led to her termination after 11 years as a reporter for NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5.

The entire article can be found at this link. The lawsuit can be found at the bottom of the page under this link.

Of further interest, the comments section at the bottom of the page serves as insight to how little the general public knows about such things as "invasion of privacy."

As a sidenote, I wonder how many Tracy Reardons are going to start popping up thanks to our favorite irresponsible "educator" telling people the First Amendment is ironclad?

 

[pre-set]

I know nothing about the story, but just based on what I've read, it smells. Why is the reporter running around in a bikini during a "pool party" at the home of a guy with a missing("disapeared"?) wife?

Sounds sketchy...

 

[The Daywood]

Having read the brief, and some of the articles, it looks like Ms. Jacobson is going to have a big payday. Though probably not the best journalistic judgement on her part, you don't get 4 Emmys in 4 years by being a gunslinger who goes around with no regard for propriety.

She believed she was working on a relationship with the family, and while it ended up being a personal (social would be a better word) rather than professional relationship, she did nothing wrong. It is clear that her motives for fostering the social relationship were to allow her better access to the story it is no different than other relationships I've seen with families and reporters.

I know of one example (an NPPA story they show at The Workshop, but I can't remember the journalist who did it) where the young daughter was run over by her father on a riding lawnmower. From what I remember, the reporter handed the family his card, and said they should call when they feel like it. After a while the family did call and created a relationship with the journalists. There is even one shot in the story where the little girl walks toward the camera just for the cameraman (tear-jerker moment)...But I digress.

In order to advance stories, we must make a connection with people directly involved. This sometimes means thinking outside the box, and meeting people "off-the-record" in a casual capacity to allow them to feel comfortable with you. Would I have gone as far as taking my kids over to the house for a swim? Maybe not, but I wasn't with her, don't know all of the facts, and have never met her to see how she operates.

Bottom-line, based on what I read in the lawsuit, all the Defendants better get ready to pony up some cash...