Rita Skeeter ( WAS: Re: Hermione's growth)

[slgazit]

No: HPFGUIDX 82571

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Taryn Kimel" <amani at c...> 
wrote:
> 
> Golly:
> > Rita was not out to hurt people.  She just didn't care.  She was 
out
> > to sell papers.  Articles about Harry sells papers and since his 
real
> > story was boring, she spiced it up.

The real story was boring? Had she bothered to do some real 
research, she might have been able to write about the saving of the 
Sorcerers' Stone or about the basilisk and maybe even Tom Riddle 
(granted, saving Sirius Black was top secret).

Instead she looked for dirt. The first thing we find about her, from 
her Quick Quotes Quill is that her goal as a journalist is blowing 
people's reputation - not accounting to the public what really 
happens in the world.

> > There is no indication she's a horrible person.

No? Fabricating the contents of an interview as she has done to 
Harry is not horrible? Publishing completely unfounded facts without 
research? Accepting without doubts the stories of students most 
hostile to the characters she is discussing? She presents Hagrid as 
a dangerous and out of control half giant, Hermione as a shameless 
flirt and Harry as a mad and violent boy. Neither have done anything 
to her to deserve these stories.

> Oh, but it's also an article that will sell. Love life of one of 
the most famous people in the wizarding world?

Responsible journalism is to write the story as close to the truth 
as possible. In our non-magical world there are also strict rules 
about what you can publish about minors - and for good reason. Had 
she been writing in some second rate paper it may have been 
acceptable. But the Daily Prophet is something like the NYTimes 
here. One would expect some level of responsibility on the part of 
the editors and its writers.

Salit