Behind the headlines

PRIVACY has become a big issue in contemporary jurisprudence. The "right to privacy" is enshrined in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and guaranteed by Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. But Article 8 is balanced by Article 10, which guarantees "free expression of opinion". So what right has priority when they conflict?

The issue has just been tested in the High Court in London. In March, Britain's leading scandal sheet, the News of the World, published an "exclusive" front-page story, under the headline "F1 boss has sick Nazi orgy with 5 hookers". It told how Max M...