Should military personnel sell their stories?
| 14:07 UK time, Monday, 9 April 2007
Hiya,
My name’s Jo and I’m filling in for Ros for the next couple of days while he suns himself by the English coast. Not something you’d usually want to do at this time of year, but it’s unseasonably warm here. Could be some heated discussions in the studio later too. Here are the topics we’re planning on talking about today:
1. SHOULD SERVING OFFICERS BE ALLOWED TO SELL THEIR STORIES TO THE PRESS?
Furious row here in the UK about the decision by the Ministry of Defence to allow the fifteen sailors and marines who were detained in Iran to sell their stories. The one who’s had the most publicity, Leading Seaman Faye Turney, is rumoured to have been paid £100,000 by a tabloid newspaper and a popular TV show. Her salary is probably a quarter of that.
So – should she, and some her colleagues, have taken the money? Was the Defence Ministry right to have made an exception in this case and encouraged them to get their stories out? Or has the dignity of the armed forces been damaged? And the families of war dead disrespected?
Steven McLaughlin is a former rifleman in the British Army who wrote a book about his experiences. He thinks the fifteen should take the cash. He’ll be on the programme, taking your questions. So let us know what you want to say to him.
2. IS IT EVER OKAY TO OUT SOMEONE AS GAY AGAINST THEIR WISHES?
Email us now.
A gay lifestyle magazine called Out has published a list of influential gay Americans. Two of the people it names – the actress Jodie Foster and the CNN anchorman Anderson Cooper – have never said they are gay.
Is that fair enough? Or do you think it’s not the media’s place to drag people out of the closet? Is sexuality purely a private affair? Or do celebrities have a responsibility to be open about their sexuality if it could help tackle prejudice? Maybe there are times – such as when a gay politician votes against gay rights legislation – when a public outing is justified?
Also:
There’s another story we’re interested in. It’s the official start of the French presidential campaign today and – for the first time – a woman is in the running. Segolene Royal has made a lot of her femininity. Hillary Clinton’s been doing much the same thing in her bid to become the Democrats’ candidate next year. Would you vote for a women just because she’s a woman? Or should politics be blind to sex / colour / religion / sexuality? Can a white man truly represent the interests of a black woman, for example? Interested in discussing this? Let us know…
Keep your eyes on the blog for any changes or developments.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Jo
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