PAPARAZZI A NECESSARY “EVIL”
OR JUST PLAIN WRONG ?
The big debate
• There is great controversy whether the
tactics used by paparazzi is ethical or not.
This lucrative business has gone overboard in
many occasions at the expense of their
subject.
The flip-side to the coin
• The flip-side to that coin is that
celebrities should expect it because they are
in the public spotlight. Lady Gaga for one
uses them as a tool to promote her artistry.
Film stars like George Clooney, Brad Pitt and
Angelina Jolie frequently get mobbed at
festivals and elsewhere, but the practice
does have a dangerous edge to it. Is all
promotion good?
How about a flashback?
•
Let’s go back to 2007 when George Clooney slammed a paparazzi
chase that nearly caused him to crash his motorcycle. That was a
close call. Or how about 10 years beforehand, when Princess
Diana was killed fleeing paparazzi that clearly broke the speed
limit to get pictures of her in 1997. Many critics argue till
this day, that princess Diana would still be alive if the
paparazzi hadn’t chased her.
•
As Clooney quoted saying: “It’s high-speed chases and they’re competing with
each other. They’re not trying to catch me doing something stupid, they’re trying to
create me doing something stupid. You don’t get to break all these laws and then say,
I’m just doing my job.”
What is a paparazzi?
• Paparazzi (or paparazzo in the
singular form) is italian for
“buzzing mosquitos”. The
paparazzi, much like mosquitos,
hover around celebrities,
constantly snapping picture
after picture in the hopes of
catching that one picture that
will earn them the most money.
In some cases, they can be
helpful to a celebrity by
taking pictures the celebrity
may want taken. Several
examples of this can be the
pictures taken at movie
premieres, humanitarian
functions, and awards shows.
• It is unfortunate that the very definition
of ‘paparazzi’ has such a bad reputation
when there are respectful photographers
out there who are doing a great job in a
dignified manner. Safety and moral ethics
should play a part when people take
pictures of others and making money
shouldn’t involve invading the privacy of
others.
• Tabloids have totally come to depend
on over-explicit articles and
pictures just to guarantee sales.
This displays a craving for
sensationalism in today’s society.
At last the Law!
•
•
The only solution that will prevent the paparazzi from invading
the privacy of celebrities, stalking celebrities and distorting
the image of celebrities is to enforce a law worldwide that
prevents the paparazzi from doing these things
Readers of magazines and viewers of television networks that
display the work of the paparazzi, should wish for paparazzi to
stop invading the privacy of celebrities, stop stalking them
and distorting their image. A law should be implemented to
protect celebrities from the abuse of the paparazzi.
•
New legislation which will limit the paparazzi's ability to
photograph stars' children has become law in the state of
California. It lays out penalties for taking photos and video of
a child without parental consent and in a harassing manner.