J.K. Rowling recalls 'invasion' of privacy

The British author that is well-known for Harry Potter fantasy series J.K. Rowling has described the “invasion” she felt when she discovered a journalist had put a note into her daughter’s school bag.

Each of us deserves to live in freedom, but it’s unavoidable that some people tend to invade others’ privacy, and to take control of our every accounts just to steal information. J.K. Rowling is the latest star to give evidence at the Leveson Inquiry in London, which is looking into allegations of phone hacking against several UK newspapers.

Several stars to complain before were Sienna Miller, Hugh Grant and Steve Coogan already testified about their experiences. For Rowling, it was severely disgusting with UK press because of the lack of respect towards her children.

Rowling recalls:

“In the first burst of publicity surrounding [Harry Potter]. I unzipped her school bag in the evening, among the debris I found an envelope addressed to me from a journalist. It’s my recollection that the journalist said he intended to ask a mother at the school to put this in my daughter’s bag. I know no more than that I don’t know if that is how the journalist [put it in the bag].”

“I felt such a sense of invasion that my daughter’s bag; It’s very difficult to say how angry I felt that my five-year-old daughter’s school was no longer a place of complete security from journalists.”

Moreover, the mom-of-three went on to reveal that she once felt like a prisoner when reporters were stationed outside her home. Rowling questioned why they were there and they implied they had nothing else to work on.

“Two journalists from a Scottish tabloid were outside my house… They said it was a boring day at the office. My family and I were literally under surveillance for their amusement,” she added. “There’s a twist in the stomach as you wonder what do they want, what have they got? It’s very unnerving to feel like you’re being watched and obviously that impacts on my children.”

Rowling said that she understands that it can be difficult to decide what should and shouldn’t be printed about people in the public eye, however, the author strongly believes that children of stars should never be a target.

She explained that “where children are concerned it’s my personal belief that it’s not complex at all because they deserve privacy. They have no choice who their parents are how their parents behave. A child, no matter who their parents are, deserves privacy. Where children are concerned the issue is fairly black and white.”