An Overview of the Privacy Rights for Public Officials

What right do public officials have to privacy? Do they have the right to complain about the attention and criticism they are given? Are the scandals about adultery and their private lives too invasive? Or should public officials expect to be given attention and criticism when they decide to run for office? Are public official's privacy rights limited because of the public's right to know where their tax money is going and who their representatives really are? Can public offficials be given more privacy, or would this limit the freedom of the press and restrict the power of the press as the watchdog of the government? These are the questions that come up when questioning the privacy rights of public officials.

I believe that the public's right to know about how their taxes are being spent and who they are trusting to represent them outweighs public official's right to privacy. Politicians and public officials know that they will be the the subject of scrutiny when they run for office. Media coverage on the lives of politicians gives the public insight into who they are really voting for, letting the people decide for themselves if these politicians can be trusted with representing the public. The press is the the watchdog of the government, and has been able to uncover abuses of power and scandals while covering public officials. Public officials cannot expect to be giving the same amount of privacy as the public once they decide to run for office.