Ruling Against ABC on Hidden Cameras

If the court decision in North Carolina to force ABC News to pay Food Lion $5.5 million in damages for trespassing (Jan. 23) had occurred in 1900, Upton Sinclair would not have been able to write his landmark book, “The Jungle.”

In order for Sinclair to gather information on the meatpacking industry, he had to disguise himself as an employee of the Chicago stockyards. This was the only way he could gain access, and more important, information on the horrible conditions in the meatpacking industry. The revelations of “The Jungle” and the storm that followed were major factors in the formation of the Food and Drug Administration.

THOMAS R. TEFFT

Sierra Madre

* The proliferation of “lipstick” cameras and other easily concealable recording devices makes it easy for any of us to be victimized and publicly humiliated. The government isn’t allowed to intrude on our private moments, why should the media (or anyone else) be permitted to?

If someone videotapes a child molester or rapist or murderer in the act, the tape should be admissible and the criminal should be punished without any recourse available against whoever caught him. If, however, someone violates another’s privacy without a warrant, and the person being investigated is committing no serious crime, the one videotaping should be subject to criminal prosecution and civil litigation. A reporter’s credential does not give permission to abuse. New technology necessitates laws to safeguard our right to privacy.

BILL SERANTONI

Thousand Oaks