"Franzen also makes the point that the fire warnings of the privacy Cassandras do not appear to have generated genuine alarm in the American public: “Americans care about privacy Cassandras do not appear to have generated genuine alarm in the American public: “Americans care about privacy mainly in the abstract”.7 Professor David Anderson describes the attitude of Americans to privacy as “ambivalent”. 8 On the one hand, Americans cherish privacy: they want privacy in their living conditions and are prepared to spend significant amounts of money to secure it; it is considered impolite to question a person about her income, political views of academic results; and individuals expect to be protected from the curiosity of others. On the other hand, Americans also cherish other values which often conflict with privacy; “information, candour and free speech”. The public appetite for drama, tragedy, gossip and scandal is seemingly insatiable: We claim to respect privacy, but in fact we devoure the private secrets of hundreds of people every day. We do value privacy, but not as much as we hunger to know – to know the shocking details of scandal, to see the drama or terror or grief or humiliation, to understand the strangeness of our neighbours … Theprincipal raw material consumed in the production of news and entertainment is people's lives, both public and private. From journalism school onwards, reporters and editors are reminded again and again that news is about people. Television ratings and newspaper readership surveys, as well as journalist's own instincts, tell them that readers and viewers want to know about people.9"