Have media become too intrusive?

Wow, talk about journalism ethics (or the lack of it) in this story.

Reporter admits royal phonetapping
Source: CNN

LONDON, England (AP) -- A tabloid journalist accused of hacking into the voicemail system in Prince Charles' office pleaded guilty Wednesday, and apologized to the prince and his sons.

Clive Goodman, 48, the royal editor of the News of the World, was arrested after members of the prince's household reported suspected security breaches in the telephone network.

Goodman was suspended from his job at the newspaper, Britain's largest-selling Sunday paper.

Glenn Mulcaire, 35, pleaded guilty to the same charge, plus five further charges of unlawfully intercepting voicemail messages.

Other victims of Mulcaire's snooping, the court heard, included the model Elle Macpherson; Gordon Taylor, chairman of the Professional Footballers Association; Andrew Skylet, agent for soccer player Sol Campbell; and Simon Hughes, a member of Parliament.

Read more here. For a related story from CNN, click here.

The issue has raised discussions on how media cover top news sources, especially celebrities and political and royal leaders. CNN asked its online readers if the media coverage of Britain's royal family has become too intrusive. Of the 4257 votes (as of this writing), majority answered yes (81 percent or 3440 votes) and only a small number of people voted 817 (19 percent).